Smoky Eggplant And Melon Wraps Food

SMOKY EGGPLANT DIP WITH YOGURT AND MINT

Steps:

• Make a fire on one side of a charcoal grill. When the fire is hot, prick the eggplants all over with a fork, and place them on the hot side of the grill for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, to char the skin all over. Move the eggplants to the cool side of the grill, put on the lid, making sure the vents are open, and roast the eggplants for 40 to 45 minutes, until they collapse when you press on them, turning once halfway through. Transfer the eggplants to a platter and cut in half lengthwise, allowing any liquid to run out.
• With a slotted spoon, scoop the insides of the eggplants into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, discarding the skin and any excess liquid. Add the yogurt, lemon juice, mint, garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, the Sriracha, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Pulse just five or six times to combine but not puree the ingredients. Taste for seasonings; it should be highly seasoned!
• Transfer to a shallow serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with extra mint and salt, and serve warm or at room temperature with pita triangles.

EGGPLANT WRAPS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine oil and dried herbs. Lightly brush each eggplant slice on both sides with herbed oil.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, arrange as many pieces of eggplant in a single layer as will fit. Fry each side until golden brown and softened, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer cooked eggplant to a plate, and repeat with remaining slices.
• Rinse spinach in cold water, and place the wet leaves in a dry medium saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Drain well.
• Assemble wraps by taking a slice of eggplant and placing a heaping tablespoon of spinach on one side. Top spinach with a sun-dried tomato half, a few toasted pine nuts and a slice of Cheddar. Fold the eggplant in half so that filling is completely covered. Place on a large nonstick baking sheet. Repeat to make 16 wraps, placed side by side. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake until cheese has melted, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

SMOKY EGGPLANT SPREAD

Steps:

• Prepare a charcoal fire or heat the broiler. Pierce eggplants here and there with the point of a paring knife. Place eggplants 2 inches from heat source. Allow skins to blister and char, turning with tongs until entire surface is blackened and eggplants are completely soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Slice eggplants in half lengthwise and lay skin side down on a cutting board. Carefully scrape away flesh with a knife and put it in a colander. Discard burned skins. Do not rinse eggplant flesh - a few bits of remaining char is fine. Salt flesh lightly and leave for 5 to 10 minutes, then squeeze into a ball to remove liquid.
• Blitz eggplant, 1/2 teaspoon salt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cayenne in a food processor or blender to obtain a creamy purée. (For a more rustic spread, beat with a whisk instead.) Taste and adjust salt and lemon juice if necessary. Transfer mixture to a shallow serving bowl.
• Just before serving, stir together cumin and olive oil, and spoon over the mixture's surface. Sprinkle with paprika, parsley and mint. Serve with warm pita cut into triangles if desired.

GRILLED EGGPLANT CHICKPEA WRAPS

Steps:

• Heat the grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Grate the garlic into a medium bowl and pour the lemon juice over. Let stand about 2 minutes. Whisk in the yogurt, 2 tablespoons water and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Put the chickpeas in a large bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of the yogurt sauce and set aside.
• Brush the eggplant slices generously with olive oil on one side and season with salt. Grill oiled-side down until charred, rotating once to char more of the surface, 2 minutes total. Brush oil on the top, sprinkle with salt, flip, and grill until charred and very tender, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a cutting board, chop roughly, and then stir gently into the chickpea mixture. Taste the mixture and season with salt, if needed.
• To make the wraps, spread 2 tablespoons of the yogurt sauce on one of the tortillas. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the oregano. Form about 1 scant cup of the chickpea mixture into a log across the wrap about 3 inches from the bottom, leaving a 1-inch border on each side. Top with some chopped tomatoes and a little salt, then add some cucumber and lettuce. Fold the sides of the wrap over the ends of the chickpea mixture, then roll up tightly from the bottom. Repeat for the remaining tortillas and filling. Cut each in half on the bias, and serve.

SMOKY TOMATO AND EGGPLANT SPREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Partially peel the outside of the eggplant, leaving 1 1/2- to 2-inch strips of skin intact, creating alternating stripes of flesh and skin. Cut the eggplant into 2-inch cubes and add it to a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the eggplant with 6 tablespoons of the olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Transfer the eggplant to the oven and roast for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through. After 40 minutes the eggplant should be very tender and browned.
• In the meantime, heat a high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot has softened, about 5 minutes. Next, add the red pepper and garlic and stir to combine. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, cayenne and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Stir to coat the vegetables in the spices. Add the tomatoes and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 25 minutes.
• Add the cooked eggplant to the tomato mixture and stir to combine, slightly mashing the eggplant into the sauce. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and serve with grilled sourdough.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WRAPS

Steps:

• For the grilled eggplant: Preheat the grill.
• Mix the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the basil together.
• Slice the eggplants lengthwise into 1/2" slices. Brush the slices on both sides with the olive oil mixture.
• Grill the eggplant slices until they become soft in the center, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
• For the wraps: Mix the cheese, the remaining teaspoon of basil, salt and pepper together. Set aside.
• Spread the tortillas out on a work surface in front of you. Spread the cheese mixture out on the tortillas, then top with the spinach or arugula, a slice of tomato and a few slices of eggplant. Tightly roll the tortillas into a cylinder, ending with the seam side down.
• Cut the wraps on the diagonal and serve.

SMOKY EGGPLANT AND PEPPER SPREAD

Steps:

• Roast Eggplant and red pepper on grill. When Eggplant begins to collapse, remove from grill. Cut in half, remove seeds and set aside in collender. When red pepper is slight charred and soft, remove from grill, cut in half and remove seed.
• Place Eggplant and Red Pepper in blender. Peel garlic, chop and place in blender. Juice lemons and place in blender. Add Olive oil, salt and pepper and Blend until pureed.
• Serve at room temperature or chilled.

SMOKY EGGPLANT CROQUETTES

Steps:

• Place the whole eggplants directly on the burner grids of the stovetop, and turn the flames to high. Let each eggplant start to blister, and steam, and char, turning each one a quarter turn every 3 or 4 minutes, until softened and hissing inside, the skins utterly blackened and cracked, and the flesh collapsing, 12 to 15 minutes. (You could also blister them under the broiler, set on an aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet a couple of inches from the heat and cook until charred all over.)
• Remove the eggplants to a bowl. Cover with a lid or overturned bowl, and let them rest until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes. Give this the time it takes; it will help with peeling them later and also lets them steep in their smoky juices. You can do this step ahead and let them cool in the refrigerator overnight as well, to be peeled the next day, which works beautifully.
• Remove the scorched, carbonized skin from the soft, cooked-through eggplant. Discard all the black, bitter charred bits.
• Strain the remaining eggplant, and save all the viscous smoky liquid that accumulates. I usually "rinse" the peeled eggplants in this strained liquid to remove any lingering flakes or chips of charred skin from the eggplant flesh. (Sometimes people are tempted to run the eggplant under the faucet for a second to remove the flecks, but using the liquid in the bowl is much better at retaining flavor.)
• Chop the flesh to a fine dice, and place in a bowl. (I generally never remove the seeds unless I have bought an intensely loaded eggplant, in which case I'll remove them if the seed sacs are pronounced and distracting.)
• Stir in 3 tablespoons of the reserved smoky liquid, and the olive oil, then Microplane the garlic into the mixture. Season with salt, and stir well until the mixture is a bit creamy. Taste, and season to your palate by adding a few more drops of the smoky liquid or a few more of olive oil. I like mine rather smoky, rather salty, rather unctuous.
• Spread the eggplant mixture into an 8-inch square, about 1/2-inch thick, on a quarter sheet pan lined with a quarter-cut Silpat mat. Most people will not have these two things, so alternatively you can form a neat square or rectangle on a cookie sheet, or spoon the mixture into generally quenelled shapes onto a cookie sheet. Freeze overnight.
• Prepare the croquettes: Set up a standard breading procedure of three containers: flour, egg and water mixture, and the ground panko.
• Cut the frozen block of smoky eggplant into 2-inch squares, or batons or planks if you prefer. Refreeze for a bit if needed after cutting; they tend to defrost rather quickly. Bread each piece with care, dipping in flour, egg mixture then panko, leaving no bald spots, and refreeze the finished, breaded croquettes. (These can live in your freezer for months.)
• Add enough neutral oil to a deep-sided sauté pan to reach a depth of 1 1/2 to 2 inches, and heat over medium until shimmering, or when a thermometer reads 350 degrees. Working in batches, fry the frozen croquettes until golden on all sides and piping hot in the center, raising and lowering the heat under the oil accordingly. Adding frozen products to hot oil brings the temperature down, as does crowding, so it is up to the cook to control the temperature of the fry oil accordingly. Remove cooked croquettes with a slotted spoon, and drain on a baker's rack to maintain crispness (rather than a paper towel or plate, which will encourage steaming and sogginess).
• Sprinkle with a little salt while still very hot, and serve with a squeeze of lemon.

EGGPLANT WRAPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. You will need a large non-stick baking sheet.
• Cut the woody top off each eggplant and discard. Slice each eggplant lengthwise into 8 pieces (16 in all) about 1/2 inch thick.
• Mix the oil and the herbs together in a small bowl or cup. Lightly brush each slice of eggplant with the herby oil on both sides. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and lay as many pieces of the eggplant in the pan as will comfortably fit. Fry each side until golden brown and softened, which should be about 3 minutes per side. When all the slices are cooked, set them aside.
• Wash the spinach well in cold running water, then toss it in a hot medium saucepan (using just the water that is clinging to the leaves) until wilted, and drain off the excess liquid.
• Now, assemble each wrap by taking 1 slice of the cooked eggplant and placing a little of the wilted spinach on one side. Then lay a piece of sundried tomato on top, sprinkle a few toasted pine nuts over it, and top with a slice of Cheddar. Fold the eggplant over to form the wrap, then place it on a large non-stick baking sheet.
• Repeat this until all 16 wraps are assembled and placed side by side on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and a grind of fresh black pepper.
• Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is bubbling, and serve immediately.

BITTER MELON AND BRINJAL (EGGPLANT) RELISH

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the bitter melon and eggplant to the boiling water and return to a boil; cook at a boil for 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water to stop from cooking further.
• Toss the bitter melon, eggplant, carrot, garlic, green chile peppers, and sweet onion in a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• Stir the water, vinegar, ginger, sugar, and salt together in a pot; bring to a boil until the sugar has dissolved completely. Set aside to cool completely. Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the vegetables in the bowl, assuring the vegetables are completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold.