Eggplant, or one of the variations of its name, always reminds me of a Courage, the cowardly dog episode. It obviously made an impression, because I was in grade 4, 5, or 6 when I saw it. The eggplants were trying to take over the world. And this was my first attempt at cooking eggplant. Oh dear.
The eggplant recipe comes from The Real Meal Revolution, pg 250. Basically, there's a tahini sauce made from crushed clove of garlic, lemon juice, finely chopped chives, and double thick Greek yogurt. Add everything, then whisk in some water to achieve the right consistency.
The eggplant is peeled, cut into slices or wedges, grilled in olive oil and then arranged in a tray. The eggplant slices are then seasoned with salt, pepper, thyme, and 3 cloves of crushed garlic. The oven is at 220*C and the tray goes in for about 15 minutes.
While the eggplant is in the oven, I use my trusty electric wok for the chicken dish. Olive oil and 1 brown onion go in first, once they start to caramelize, add the chick cubes and stirfry until the chicken cubes are sealed (i.e. you don't see any raw meat) then add the sliced green and yellow (or red) pepper. Stirfry for a couple of minutes, put the lid on the wok, switch off the heat and let the steam assist the chicken in resting and cooking through.
Take the tray out of the oven and stir the eggplant around a bit to keep it from sticking to the tray once it's cooled down.
Slice the avo and plate it, plate the eggplant slices/wedges and garnish with your tahini sauce and pomegranate pips, with some Italian parsley to complete the look. Then plate the chick and peppers and serve.
It tastes even better than it looks, just check throughout that you've seasoned everything to your particular preference - eggplant doesn't really taste like anything, so be generous with it. This makes enough for 4 people, or two dinners and two lunches and it is perfect for a lunchbox-at-work-treat.
If any dish could dispel my odd eggplant memory, this is the one. Enjoy!
The eggplant recipe comes from The Real Meal Revolution, pg 250. Basically, there's a tahini sauce made from crushed clove of garlic, lemon juice, finely chopped chives, and double thick Greek yogurt. Add everything, then whisk in some water to achieve the right consistency.
The eggplant is peeled, cut into slices or wedges, grilled in olive oil and then arranged in a tray. The eggplant slices are then seasoned with salt, pepper, thyme, and 3 cloves of crushed garlic. The oven is at 220*C and the tray goes in for about 15 minutes.
While the eggplant is in the oven, I use my trusty electric wok for the chicken dish. Olive oil and 1 brown onion go in first, once they start to caramelize, add the chick cubes and stirfry until the chicken cubes are sealed (i.e. you don't see any raw meat) then add the sliced green and yellow (or red) pepper. Stirfry for a couple of minutes, put the lid on the wok, switch off the heat and let the steam assist the chicken in resting and cooking through.
Take the tray out of the oven and stir the eggplant around a bit to keep it from sticking to the tray once it's cooled down.
Slice the avo and plate it, plate the eggplant slices/wedges and garnish with your tahini sauce and pomegranate pips, with some Italian parsley to complete the look. Then plate the chick and peppers and serve.
It tastes even better than it looks, just check throughout that you've seasoned everything to your particular preference - eggplant doesn't really taste like anything, so be generous with it. This makes enough for 4 people, or two dinners and two lunches and it is perfect for a lunchbox-at-work-treat.
If any dish could dispel my odd eggplant memory, this is the one. Enjoy!