Roasted Red Pepper And Eggplant Spread Macedonian Tolcheni Food

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND EGGPLANT SPREAD (MACEDONIAN TOLCHENI)

Steps:

• Take the eggplant and peel, slice, chop it into cubes then sprinkle with salt and allow to drain in colander at least 1/2 hour. Then place eggplant in Pyrex bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high 8 to 10 minutes, stirring 1/2 time during cooking.
• Then take the red bell peppers and wash, dry and place under the broiler turning the peppers as skin turns black on all sides (5-10 min). Remove peppers from broiler, place them into a Pyrex bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to cool. (you may use your own method of removing all the pepper skins) Remove skins, discard and seeds then place in food processor and blend 5 to 10 seconds. Add cooled eggplant and pulse processor 5 times until blended. AVOID OVER PROCESSING. Pour the blended eggplant / pepper mixture into bowl.
• Add the garlic, tomato sauce, olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add crushed red pepper flakes if desired. Stir together.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight.

ROASTED RED BELL PEPPERS WITH EGGPLANT (FUNGHETTO)

Steps:

• For the peppers: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Spray a small baking dish or baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray. Arrange the peppers, cut side-up, on the baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake until the peppers are tender but still holding their shape, about 20 minutes.
• For the eggplant: Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Add the eggplant in batches and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
• For the filling: Combine the cooked eggplant, tomato-basil sauce, olives, capers, salt and pepper in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.
• For the topping: In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Spoon the filling into the bell peppers and sprinkle the topping over the filling. Drizzle with the olive oil and broil until a golden crust forms, 2 to 3 minutes.

ROASTED EGGPLANT SPREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplant, bell pepper, and onion into 1-inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with the garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft, tossing once during cooking.
• Cool slightly.
• Place the vegetables in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add the tomato paste, and pulse 3 or 4 times to blend. Taste for salt and pepper.

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND EGGPLANT DIP WITH PITA WEDGES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Coat eggplant and bell peppers lightly with additional oil and arrange in a jelly-roll pan. Roast vegetables, turning once or twice, 30 to 40 minutes, or until eggplant is very soft and bell peppers are charred. Transfer peppers to a metal bowl and let steam, covered tightly with plastic wrap, until cool enough to handle.
• Peel and seed bell peppers and pat dry between paper towels. Peel eggplant and put flesh in a food processor. Add bell peppers, remaining 4 tablespoons oil, garlic, lemon juice, jalapeño, and salt and pepper to taste and combine well.
• Transfer mixture to a heavy saucepan and simmer, stirring frequently, 15 to 20 minutes, or until thickened and reduced to about 2 cups.
• Cool dip and chill, covered, at least 1 day and up to 1 week.
• Serve dip with pita wedges.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND RED PEPPER DIP

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Brush both sides of eggplant with dressing; place on rimmed baking sheet. Bake 30 min. or until tender. Cool slightly. Coarsely mash eggplant.
• Mix cream cheese and dressing with until blended. Stir in eggplant and remaining ingredients. Spoon into 9-inch pie plate.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND RED PEPPER TOPPING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Toss vegetables with oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl, then spread in an oiled large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Roast vegetables in middle of oven, stirring occasionally, until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack, then coarsely mash with a potato masher and stir in basil.

AJVAR (ROASTED RED PEPPER SPREAD)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to broil. Halve each pepper, discarding stems and seeds. Place peppers, cut side down, on an old baking sheet or one lined with foil.
• Cut eggplant in half lengthwise and score with a knife, drizzle it with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and a little salt and place it on a second baking sheet.
• Place one of the oven racks roughly 3 to 4 inches below the heat; place peppers on this rack. The eggplant should sit on a lower rack.
• Broil the peppers and eggplant, turning the peppers occasionally until they are well roasted on all sides, roughly 15 to 20 minutes. The eggplant may be done first; if so, remove it and set it aside to cool. To test eggplant for doneness press on it with a fork to make sure it's soft all the way through. I use an an outdoor grill to cook the peppers and eggplant, no oil. I make sure most of the skin on the peppers are blackened.
• When you remove the peppers from the oven, place them in a bowl, sprinkle them with a little water, and cover with a clean dishcloth. Leave it for about 10 minutes. This step steams and lifts the skins, making it easy to peel the peppers once they've cooled. (Another method to loosen skins is to place the peppers in a paper sack, fold over to close and leave it for 15 minutes).
• While waiting for the red pepper skin to lift. Use a large spoon to remove the pulp of the eggplant, leaving the skin behind. Discard the thickest seeds, but don't get nit-picky. Put eggplant in a food processor or a blender (I use a stick blender in a deep bowl) with olive oil and smashed and chopped garlic cloves. Pulse the eggplant a few times so that it's chopped with the other ingredients but not totally pureed. Put this in a bowl and set aside.
• Once peppers are cool enough to handle, peel them with your fingers or a knife. Add peppers to the food processor or blender and pulse 5 to 8 times to chop coarsely. Add the eggplant mixture to the chopped peppers, season to taste with salt, pepper, vinegar and dried chili flakes, pulse 3 or 4 times to mix.
• If you wish, garnish it with more finely diced garlic and a few scattered basil leaves. Serve ajvar with toasted bread slices drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt.