Need a Vegan Dip?

While I had the Greek cookbook, I decided I ought to look at how Mr. Psilakis made tsatsiki.  I cannot get enough of that.  I didn't actually make it, though, because I didn't have a need for it, and I didn't have time to go to Whole Foods to get the kind of yogurt that I like.  But on the opposite page was a recipe for eggplant spread.  It used the garlic confit, and one of the serving/use suggestions included the chickpea confit.  Well, why not?  Bonus: eggplant.  I like to try new things with eggplant, because I've had some great eggplant, but personally find it tricky.  I want to get it right!  I want to get somewhere where I can say, "oh, look at that beautiful eggplant!  I know just what to do with it!"  This recipe is a great step in that direction.

Eggplant Spread
1 large Eggplant
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
6 Shallots
2 cloves Garlic
1 mini red bell pepper
1 mini yellow bell pepper
1 Tbsp lemon juice
12 cloves Garlic Confit 
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/4 C olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350˚F, wrap the eggplant in foil and roast it in the oven until very soft.  For me, it took about an hour and a half.  Let it cool enough that you can touch it without blistering your fingertips off, then peel the eggplant.  I cut it into large pieces.  Line a colander with, if you have it, a double thickness of cheesecloth. I didn't, so I used a whole bunch of paper napkins instead.  Place the eggplant into the lined colander to drain overnight.

When ready to resume cooking, dice the shallots, smash and mince the garlic cloves, use a toaster oven to roast the bell peppers, and cut the red one into strips and the yellow one into smaller pieces (it makes things a little more visually interesting).  Warm the olive oil over medium-high heat, and cook the shallots until tender.  Add the garlic and bell peppers and cook about a minute more.  Remove from heat and deglaze the pan with the lemon juice.

In a food processor or blender, combine half the eggplant and the garlic confit.  Purée until smooth, then add the red wine vinegar.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while blending constantly (you're making an emulsion here).

Chop the remaining eggplant, and combine with the shallot mixture and eggplant purée in a good-sized bowl.  Season liberally with salt and pepper.

This dip has an amazingly creamy mouthfeel and taste.  I was surprised; I double-checked the recipe to make sure that I hadn't forgotten adding a dairy component at some point.  It was delicious.  I ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, usually spread on top of some beer bread, although I also used it as a dip for veggies and chips.  It probably would have been a nice addition to sandwiches, although I never got that far.  The biggest criticism I had of it was that it is not very pretty.  It is (as you can see) this odd brownish color.  I know that's just the color of eggplant, but it makes it harder to get people to try something new.

The serving suggestion I took advantage of involved combining 1 C eggplant spread and 1 C chickpea confit (drained).  Chop them together on an easily-wiped-down cutting board, then transfer them into a bowl.  Add an egg and about 1/3 C breadcrumbs (enough to make it a texture that can be formed into a ball).  Form into small fritters, dredge in flour, and deep-fry until crisp. 

The fritters were also fantastic.  Like all fried things, they were best hot, although they were so flavorful I enjoyed them cold, too.  Both of these recipes are my new favorite way to eat eggplant.