Since I have been attending my neighborhood farmer’s market regularly, I am now officially “eating with the seasons.â€? This is great but it also means that I can’t always find my favorites. Yes, I know asparagus isn’t in season right now so I shouldn’t be eating it, but that was always one of my staples. To fill this void, I have been branching out and trying new things. Last week, I picked up 3 small eggplants even though I have never been too sure how I feel about eggplant. There was an Indian restaurant that my family used to go to, however, that had a great grilled eggplant dish so I decided I would be safe in mimicking that. I cut my eggplant into 3/4 –inch thick rounds, salted it and let it rest for 1 hour. Then I grilled the rounds on a very hot grill pan until charred and soft and topped them with yogurt, chopped mint, thinly sliced green chili, pistachios and a light sprinkling of coriander powder. It was absolutely delicious – the eggplant was buttery soft and smoky and contrasted perfectly with the exotic flavors of the garnish. The mint, which came from my mom’s garden, was very refreshing. And it was an attractive dish to boot! I will put a recipe up on elliemay.com as soon as I can get my act together.
This is a great eggplant dish! I’m waiting to see your recipe in case it’s different than the way I did it. For those with outdoor grills it’s fun to grill with some wood chips for a really smoky flavor.
Comment by Katie Wells — September 26, 2005 @ 6:55 pm