Every October, the eggplant leaves in my garden end up looking like Swiss cheese. The flea beetles get to them the same way they do every year, and I never quite get around to fighting back. This fall, there was also a tomato hornworm, so enormous by the time I found it that I didn’t have the heart to deal with it. I figured it had already done about 99 percent of the damage it was going to do, so I let it live.
Pest problems aside, the plants keep handing me beautiful, mild-fleshed eggplants. So I made myself a promise this year: do something with them that isn’t fried, isn’t drowning in marinara, and isn’t buried under cheese. I love my usual eggplant gratin, the whole bubbling, cheesy mess of it, but I wanted a change.
This one comes from Yotam Ottolenghi by way of Bon Appétit, and I had a hunch it might finally scratch the itch I get for the roasted eggplant at Zahav, my favorite Israeli restaurant. It did.
I’ll be honest, I made the whole thing with one eyebrow raised. Do I even own preserved lemon peel? That looks like an awful lot of spice mixture for two eggplants. Am I really supposed to use all of it? I made it on a busy Sunday and spent the afternoon lowering expectations out loud to Mr. President, warning him I wasn’t sure about this one.
Then we took the first bite and stopped talking. The spices melt into the eggplant as it roasts, and the flesh turns soft and almost creamy. Set against the bright, herb-heavy bulgur salad, it’s a full vegetarian dinner that doesn’t leave you feeling like anything is missing. It’s billed as serving four. It served the two of us, with no regrets. If you’re cooking for one, make the whole batch anyway, because the leftovers are just as good the next day.
Ingredients
Serves 4 (or two very happy people)
For the eggplant:
- 2 medium eggplants, about 9 to 10 ounces each, halved lengthwise
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon per eggplant half for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons preserved lemon peel, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the bulgur salad:
- 1 cup quick-cooking bulgur
- 1/2 cup pitted green olives, quartered lengthwise
- 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup dried currants
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup shelled pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- Full-fat plain yogurt, optional, for serving
How to Make It
1. Soak the bulgur. Put the bulgur in a large bowl and pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over it. Let it sit for about 45 minutes, stirring now and then, until the grains have drunk up the water and turned tender.
2. Mix the spice rub and prep the eggplant. While the bulgur soaks, heat your oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup olive oil with the preserved lemon, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and salt. Set it aside. Using a small paring knife, score the cut face of each eggplant half in a crosshatch pattern, cutting about 1/2 inch deep but stopping short of the skin.
3. Season and roast. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over each eggplant half and sprinkle with a little salt. Spread one-fourth of the spice mixture over each half, working it all the way to the edges. Set the eggplants cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 50 to 60 minutes, until they are very soft in the center.
4. Build the salad. Once the bulgur is tender, fold in the olives, red onion, currants, parsley, cilantro, pistachios, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Let it stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes so the flavors can settle in together. You can make the salad well ahead of time if it suits your day.
5. Serve. Plate each eggplant half with a generous scoop of bulgur salad, then drizzle everything with a little more olive oil. A dollop of plain yogurt on the side is welcome but not required. This dish is at its best warm or at room temperature, so there’s no rushing it to the table.
A Few Notes From My Kitchen
On preserved lemon: This is the ingredient that makes the dish, so it’s worth tracking down. You’ll find preserved lemons at Middle Eastern grocers, in the international aisle of larger supermarkets, or online. In a pinch, you can leave them out and add a little extra fresh lemon juice plus some zest, though you’ll miss some of that salty, funky depth.
Trust the spice: Yes, it really is that much rub for two eggplants. Use all of it. The eggplant acts like a sponge, and most of that flavor ends up exactly where you want it.
Make it ahead: Both the salad and the roasted eggplant hold beautifully at room temperature for a couple of hours, which makes this an easy thing to bring to the table when people show up hungry.
This recipe is adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s spiced eggplant with bulgur salad, originally published by Bon Appétit. Cooking times and results can vary depending on your oven and the size of your eggplants, so let the visual cues, soft, tender flesh, and a deep golden surface, be your guide.
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