The Best Elegant Eggplant Recipe

What do you do when you have an abundance of something? Give it away, swap it for something else, or keep it in the hope it will get used sometime in the future.

This is the most bountiful time in my gardening year, and despite all my planning I find myself with a glut of one particular vegetable which requires immediate attention to maintain its freshness. Some of it is given away or swapped with fellow gardeners, but it really can’t be saved for later unless you’re in a canning mood.

This year our eggplants continue to give us fruits (or berries as I have just learned) after a month and show no sign of stopping. With that in mind, the old adage “simple is best” really is relevant here with the simplicity of putting whole, washed eggplants straight into my slow cooker to braise to be dressed for a cold summer platter for an al fresco dinner.

* adapted from a favorite Ottolenghi recipe.

Prep Time 10 minutes Cooking Time 2 hours HIGH or 4 hours LOW Servings 4

Ingredients
2 lbs eggplant, each with a 1 inch slit down one side
1/2 cup greek yoghurt
1 tbsp tahini sesame paste
juice half lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp za’atar or Herbes de Provence
salt & pepper
pomegranate seeds

Place the eggplants into your slow cooker, slits faced down so the moisture can drain out during cooking.

Cover and cook for 2 hours on HIGH or 4 hours LOW.

While the eggplant are cooking, mix the yogurt, tahini, lemon & garlic to form a paste and refrigerate.

When the eggplant are cooked, remove and half lengthways. Serve immediately as follows or refrigerate until required. Put onto a serving plate, season with the herbs, salt & pepper. Drizzle the yogurt sauce over the top and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Serve as an appetizer or light lunch with flatbreads.

Zen Moment

“Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life”

– Wayne Dyer