Eggplant…Salsa?

The original name of this recipe is Eggplant Caviar.

Wait!  Don’t run away from the computer!  Please understand, I too have a precarious history with eggplant (a love/mush relationship, as it were).  It is further complicated by the three types with which I am familiar:

1. Indian or Baby Eggplant.  What my mom uses to make a delicious curry.  The dish’s name, unfortunately, sounds like “Bangin’ Bertha” in phonetic English.

2. Chinese Eggplant.  Both culinarily and aesthetically menacing.

3. Italian or Globe Eggplant.  What appeared in our City Fresh pickup this week, last week, and the week before that.  ‘Tis the season, apparently.

We’re waiting for particularly good recipes for Eggplant Parmesan and Baba Ganoush to fall into our laps.  Until then, we’ve been charged with making something edible. Eggplant may play a filler role in this and many other dishes, but after a background check you’ll find that it’s not so bad to have around. Try this…salsa…that uses eggplant rather than tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 1 medium globe eggplant
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced fine
• 1 Tbsp olive oil + 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar + 1 Tbsp mayonnaise   mixed well
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2-3 tsp red chili flakes
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
• liberal kosher salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 500F.  Place the eggplant and the red pepper on a baking pan, and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes (if you’ve got a grill, send the veggies straight to Hades).  Turn 2-3 times with tongs.  When ready, the flesh of each should be soft and the outsides charred.  You can let both cool on their own before skinning them, or use the paper bag method (putting them in closed paper lunch sacks for 10 minutes will steam the skin off).  Chop both fairly well, and then mix in the other ingredients with a spoon until they’re distributed.

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