The end of summer, by which I mean the period from mid-August up to either the September equinox or the first hard frost, is the best time for local produce. Tomatoes and summer squash are still abundant, greens are shooting up from their second planting, herbs are everywhere, and potatoes are appearing in market stalls, a little bigger from week to week.
Eggplant, a vegetable I associate with these back-to-school days, is plentiful. At Olivea, we get purple-and-white-streaked Fairy Tale eggplant from Granata farms, the urban garden near the restaurant, as well as white, Japanese, Italian and Globe varieties (the last is the common variety usually found in supermarkets).
Though eggplants look like sturdy enough vegetables, they are actually delicate and unusually sensitive foodstuffs, prone to bruising, easy to spoil and quick to pick up odors from the refrigerator.
Many eggplant recipes call for the eggplant to be salted and rinsed before cooking in order to remove its bitterness and keep it from being dry and tough, but this is a technique best suited to tired, old eggplant. Really fresh eggplant is sweet and juicy, and is best prepared by roasting it whole.
This is a variation on the classic baba ganoush recipe, a Middle Eastern staple in which the eggplant is charred on a grill or an open flame to give it a smoky taste, and pure ed with tahini and a few other ingredients. Rather than opting for a smooth puree, I like to fork-mash the fresh local eggplant to showcase its juicy, sweet texture.
If you want to cook the eggplant on a rack set over an open flame, use an inexpensive rotisserie rack (you can buy one for $6 at Target) that you’re not afraid to trash.
Serve this as a dip with pita or bread, or as a combination sauce/vegetable puree with chicken, lamb or fish.
Baba Ganoush
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
1 large globe eggplant or 4-5 smaller Italian, Chinese or Japanese eggplant, whole
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more to oil the eggplant before grilling
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup sesame tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
Directions
Place a small grill rack over an open burner set on medium-low heat, or heat a grill to medium-low heat.
Lightly oil and salt and pepper the eggplant. Cook the eggplant until charred and soft, turning occasionally, about 40 minutes for the globe eggplant, about 15 minutes for the smaller eggplant.
When the eggplant are cool enough to handle peel the charred skin and discard. Transfer the flesh to small bowl and mash with a fork. Add the olive oil, cumin, cayenne, tahini, garlic, parsley, lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve at room temperature with warm pita or grilled bread.
