Moorish Eggplant Salad

Recently, D gave me this simple and easy-to-follow cookbook for my birthday: Moorish by Greg & Lucy Malouf. I have been trying out some recipes from it. And, as usual, I try to follow closely but I end up taking liberties with the recipe just because I have this chronic inability to do as directed :)

Anyway, since this Eggplant Salad with Tahini-Sumac-Yogurt Dressing happens to be a favorite with D and me, I wanted to share the recipe here.

Long Chinese or Japanese eggplants are best suited for this recipe. Some of the ingredients may be hard to find in regular grocery stores. We get ours from a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern market in the city, and, fortunately, there is a Penzeys Spices nearby and I get quite a few exotic items there and stock up my shelves periodically.

I made it a couple of times and served it a bit differently each time: plain grilled eggplant with the Tahini-Yogurt Dressing, as well as, grilled eggplant with sauteed tomatoes and onions, feta, and Tahini-Sumac-Yogurt Dressing. I prefer the latter, which is the recipe I am sharing here.


It is recommended that the eggplant be salted, sweated, drained and patted dry before grilling to remove the bitterness, but, I have skipped this step and found it just as tasty - I love eggplant, so, this step doesn't seem to adversely affect the flavors for me.

Also, the Tahini-Sumac-Yogurt Dressing can be served as a dip or as a sauce for Pita Pockets.

Now, Zatar Chicken with Mograbiyah was a weekend favorite for a while until we were pretty saturated with it... now it looks like this eggplant salad is reaching the same fate :)

Ingredients
2 long Chinese eggplants, sliced crosswise into discs
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 small onion (preferably red) diced coarsely
1 medium tomato, diced coarsely
2 Tbsp canola oil, or canola oil cooking spray
¼ cup Feta, crumbled
1 tsp paprika for sprinkling on top
salt to taste

Tahini-Sumac-Yogurt Dressing:
2-3 Tbsp Olive oil
2-3 Tbsp Tahini
¼ cup sour, thick, plain yogurt (I use Nancy's™)
2-3 cloves of garlic minced finely
1-2 tsp coarsely ground (or cracked) black pepper
1 Tbsp Sumac
salt to taste

Preparation
Tahini Sumac Yogurt Dressing: Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender and whip till smooth and thick; alternately, whisk the ingredients by hand till well combined, still thickHeat the oil in a grill-pan over medium-high heat and place the eggplant rounds/discs in a single layer; sprinkle some salt and pepper on both sides; cook both sides till done but not mushy; if needed, cook the eggplant in batches so as to not overcrowd the panIn a separate pan, sauté the onions and tomatoes with a sprinkling of salt and black pepperTo Serve: Arrange the grilled eggplant pieces on a plate, scoop a dollop of the dressing on top, pile some sautéed onions and tomatoes, garnish with crumbled feta and parsley (or cilantro); sprinkle some smoked paprika powder; serve some extra dressing on the side