Armenian Eggplant Salad Food

KHOROVATS (ARMENIAN GRILLED VEGETABLE SALAD)

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to the medium heat. (About 350F. You should be able to hold your hand a few inches from the grate for 5-7 seconds.)
• With a fork, poke holes in the skin of the eggplants in three or four places. Place the tomatoes, eggplants, and bell peppers on the grill. Close the lid.
• Check on the vegetables every once in a while and turn them as needed.
• Cook the vegetables for about 20 minutes or until they are soft and start to collapse.
• Arrange on a platter and garnish with fresh herbs and chopped red onion.
• Transfer the cooked vegetables from the grill into a bowl. Cover with a lid and let it stand until the vegetables are cool enough to handle (5-10 minutes).
• Remove the skin from the vegetables and chop into chunks. Drain the liquid as needed.
• Transfer into a salad bowl and add the garlic, herbs, and olive oil if using. Season with salt. Serve warm.

ARMENIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT (IMAM BAYILDI)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Cut eggplants in 1/2, then cut each 1/2 into thirds, leaving 12 eggplant spears total. Place on a baking sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Roast in the preheated oven until fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• While eggplants are cooking, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a medium to large pan. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the hot pan and cook until onions become tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Remove eggplants from the oven and let cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer eggplants to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Slice each spear vertically using a fork and knife, being careful not to cut through skin. Pry each open and fill with 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato filling. Cover with tomato sauce.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley.

ARMENIAN GRILLED VEGETABLE SALAD

Steps:

• Grill the eggplants and bell peppers, turning occasionally and piercing the eggplants as needed to let steam escape, until all of the skin is blackened. The vegetables should be cooked through and tender.
• Place the hot grilled vegetables in a large plastic bag and twist it closed. Let them sit for a few minutes in the plastic bag to steam. This will help the skin peel off much more easily. Peel the eggplants and peppers (it helps to have a small bowl of cold water nearby to rinse off your fingers as necessary).
• Remove the stems from the eggplants and the stems and seeds from the peppers and chop everything into a ¼-to-½-inch dice. Transfer all the chopped grilled vegetables to a large bowl.
• To the bowl, add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Adjust seasoning as needed and then serve at room temperature or cold.

ARMENIAN ROASTED EGGPLANT SALAD

Steps:

• Peel the eggplant and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Cut off the stalks and base of the fennel bulb. Cut it in half, end-to-end, and remove the core if it is tough. Peel away any tough or discolored outer layers of the bulb. Chop the bulb into 1-inch pieces.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• In a large bowl, toss the eggplant, chopped fennel, bell peppers, and onions with the garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and ground fennel seeds. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Spread the vegetables evenly on two lightly oiled rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, and then turn the vegetables over with a spatula, and continue to bake until the eggplant and bell peppers are tender and lightly browned, up to 15 minutes.
• While the vegetables roast, in a large bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Add the diced cucumber and celery. When the roasted vegetables come out of the oven, add them to the bowl and toss well.
• Serve at room temperature or chilled, garnished with parsley, crumbled feta, and/or olives.

ARMENIAN EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Pare and dice eggplant.
• Heat oil in skillet, add onion, green pepper, and eggplant.
• Stir over low heat until eggplant is soft.
• Add tomatoes (may substitute canned Italian solid pear shape tomatoes, drained), salt, and freshly ground pepper.
• Simmer a few minutes.
• At this point you can add basil, chives, parsley, tarragon or oregano to taste.
• Turn into casserole dish and bake at 325 degrees F for 40 minutes.
• Casserole may be served hot or cold, with sour cream.