Once the main Cookthink site is up, one of the things you’ll be able to do is find recipes that go with the recipe you’re looking at. So for example, if you find yourself on the recipe page for any of the lamb chop dishes from today’s root source, you’ll have a box on the left where you’ll find links to recipes that go with those lamb chops. We love this roasted eggplant salad alongside pretty much any lamb chop.
Roasted eggplant with Meyer lemon vinaigrette
serves 4
Ingredients:
4 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 lemon
for the vinaigrette:
1 Meyer lemon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450F and put the rack in the middle position. Put a large baking sheet on the rack to preheat. Cut off and discard the eggplants’ stem and bottom end. Quarter them lengthwise, then slice the quarters crosswise into inch-wide pieces. In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with the olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes and a squeeze of lemon.
2. Pour the eggplant onto the preheated baking sheet. Spread the pieces apart so there’s room between them.
3. Roast, turning and tossing occasionally with a spatula, until they’re tender and brown in spots, 30-40 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly, until the dressing is emulsified.
5. To serve, spoon the vinaigrette over the roasted eggplant.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
How does the taste of this eggplant dish compare to that of the stuffed Lebanese one? I tried that recipe myself, and I found it to be a little too strong with all the tomatoes. I didn’t like the texture/taste of the eggplant much either, but I’m willing to try again
What do you guys think?
I absolutely love your blog and your food photography and I can just scratch and eat the food you prepared, almost.
What camera do you use? I just recently bought a DSLR and so I asked.
Tyler: Getting the texture of eggplant to your subjective liking can be tricky. I like to cook young, smaller eggplants at high heat to make them crisp, like in this recipe. The pillowy texture of the eggplant in Imam Bayildi is “particular.” Understandable that it wouldn’t be your favorite. If you decide to make it again, you might add more olive oil or even ground beef or turkey to the tomatoes to make a richer dish. You could also sprinkle over bread crumbs and even fontina or mozzarella and put the eggplant under the broiler for a few minutes to add crunch.
Thanks Rasa. Most of our pictures are taken with a Nikon D8, an SLR. Sometimes we use a Canon G7, a point-and-shoot. We’ve found that good light, a tripod and taking the time to frame the picture are more than half the battle.
Thanks a lot Brys, that really would add a lot more to the dish. A little crunch might be all that it really needs. Does the texture vary much between the size of the eggplants? I used two large ones for my attempt.
Sure Tyler. In my experience the texture does vary. I made this dish again Thursday night with larger eggplants. The larger ones have more seeds, which can be bitter. Their flesh is more fibrous than the smaller ones, too. When I roasted the large ones they didn’t stay together as well as the younger, smaller eggplants did. They tended to “melt” more than crisp.
Ya, you’re exactly right. There were a ton of seeds in mine that were kind of bitter and it seemed to almost collapse when I was cooking them. Thanks for the advice
I think it’s time to try again.
I have 40 Meyer Lemons trees and can tell you they are the most wonderful lemons I have ever tasted! They are a cross between an orange (some say mandarin) and a regular lemon. They have a distinct floral taste and sweetness that is just wonderful. When ripe, you can eat them whole, rind and all. We have an online store where you can buy six packs, gift bags and Mighty Meyer 7# box of these sweet organic beauties. I really encourage you to try them. Even a slice in a glass of water turns into a special treat!
Karen
Orchardess
Lemon Ladies
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