Grandma's Eggplant Salad

For many years, I've been trying to re-create my grandmother's version of baba ganouj.  It was a lemony-tasting mix that is unlike anything I've had since.  I've asked at middle eastern restaurants to see if the chefs were familiar with this taste, but to no avail.  She emigrated from Russia, so perhaps it was a recipe native to that area.  Although she lived to the ripe old age of 99, she died over 20 years ago and it has probably been 40 years or so since I last tasted that recipe.  My memory of the taste is starting to fade.

In any case, today I experimented with adding lemon and garlic to baked eggplant and have the closest match so far.  Maybe one of our readers recognizes the dish I'm describing and can share their own version.


Ingredients:

3 lb eggplant (2 large)
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic crushed and finely diced
Parsley for garnish - optional

Directions:

1) Pierce the eggplants with a fork and place in the oven at 425 or on a high gas flame or on charcoal and cook for 30 minutes, turning often until the skin blisters on all sides and the eggplants become soft.

2) Let the eggplant cool and cut lengthwise into two.  Scoop out the pulp, removing the areas where seeds are most concentrated.  Squeeze the moisture out and pulse several times in a food processor. Let drain in a colander.

3) Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and garlic. Chill for a half hour before serving.

Serve with pita or cucumber slices.

Butternut Squash Farinata

From Washington Post 10/7/2015

This version of an Italian chickpea pancake includes winter squash in the batter for extra heft.

Serve with a salad of greens of your choice.

NOTE:  The butternut squash I had was going bad, so I used sweet potatoes instead.  Also didn't have Kosher salt, so I used regular salt.  And dried thyme.

I thought there weren't enough veggies in it, so I increased the sweet potatoes to 3 cups and added an extra 1/4 cup of red onion.

Make Ahead: The farinata batter need to rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

SERVINGS:

Tested size: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 to 2 cups chickpea flour
2 cups water, preferably filtered, at room temperature
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon vegan butter (may substitute regular unsalted butter)
2 cups finely diced butternut squash (from a 1 1/2-pound peeled squash) --> used 3 c. sweet potatoes
1 shallot, minced (about 1/4 cup)  --> and added another 1/4 cup of red onion

DIRECTIONS

1) Whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the chickpea flour and the water in a mixing bowl until smooth and free of lumps. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil, the thyme, parsley, salt and pepper, whisking until the mixture has the consistency of thin pancake batter; add some or all the remaining chickpea flour as needed. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

2) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a 10-inch cast-iron or other heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium heat.

3) Whisk the batter again to bring it back together. Combine the vegan butter and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the hot skillet, swirling to coat. Once the vegan butter has melted, stir in the squash and shallot; cook, stirring, until soft, 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

4) Make sure the squash and shallot are spread evenly in the skillet; pour the rested batter over them. Carefully transfer to the hot oven; bake for 30 minutes or until the farinata is no longer wet at the center and the edges are browned and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven; cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

To serve, flip the farinata onto a cutting board and cut into 8 equal wedges, or cut the wedges out of the pan.