Fun Fact: An eggplant is actually a berry.
I know, sounds crazy, right? Typically thought of as a vegetable, the eggplant really is just a large bulbous purple berry.
Now don’t get me wrong, I probably would not mix this kind of berry in with my cereal…but I definitely would roast it in the oven and puree it with some tomatoes, roasted garlic, onions, and lemon juice and then spread it on crostini. Ooo la la finger food!!
Roasting the eggplant whole is easy. Are you ready? Take the eggplant, plop it on a sheet tray as is (no oil needed), put it in the oven at 350°F, and in about 60-75 minutes you’ve got one soft and roasted berry!
Next. Roasted garlic. Yes. Chop the end off a head of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in foil. Bake for an hour (any temp. from 350-450°F will do).
These two ingredients—roasted eggplant and garlic—make this sumptuous eggplant spread sing on the toasted baguette!
Finger food is just too fun! Who needs forks and knives: the phalanges are our natural utensils!!
Once again, I made this for my 60-person co-op and multiplied the recipe by 8. Touché!
Roasted Eggplant Spread on Crostini
Adapted from Goodthingscatered
Makes about 30 slices
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
2 tomatoes, chopped and peeled
1/2 medium red onion (feel free to use white onion or shallots)
Roasted garlic (use about half a head, maybe the whole thing if your feelin’ good!)
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for crostini
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 baguette, preferably sourdough, sliced
2 scallions, white and light green portion thinly sliced
optional:
1/4 c. cilantro
1/4 c. pitted kalmata olives
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F and place eggplant on a lined baking sheet.
2. Place baking sheet into oven and roast until eggplant looks wilted and skin is easily pieced with a fork, about 60-75 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cut off the tip of the head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Throw this in the oven with the eggplant (It will take approximately the same time to cook as the eggplant).
4. Remove eggplant and garlic from oven and cool completely. If you prefer, peel the eggplant. If not, go for the rustic feel and leave the peel on.
5. In the bowl of food processor, combine tomato, red onion, garlic and olive oil. Pulse to process until well combined.
6. Add eggplant (cilantro, olives), lemon juice, salt, and pepper and pulse until ingredients are roughly chopped to the consistency of a salsa (about 4-5 pulses) and set aside.
7. Preheat oven to 450°F and place baguette slices onto baking sheet. Brush each slice lightly with olive oil.
8. Place baking sheet into oven and bake until edges are lightly golden, about 10 minutes.
9. Remove from oven, place a spoonful of eggplant spread onto each slice and place on serving platter.
10. Top with sliced scallions and serve. FINGER FOOD!! Woo hoo!
Adapted from Goodthingscatered
Makes about 30 slices
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
2 tomatoes, chopped and peeled
1/2 medium red onion (feel free to use white onion or shallots)
Roasted garlic (use about half a head, maybe the whole thing if your feelin’ good!)
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for crostini
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 baguette, preferably sourdough, sliced
2 scallions, white and light green portion thinly sliced
optional:
1/4 c. cilantro
1/4 c. pitted kalmata olives
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F and place eggplant on a lined baking sheet.
2. Place baking sheet into oven and roast until eggplant looks wilted and skin is easily pieced with a fork, about 60-75 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cut off the tip of the head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Throw this in the oven with the eggplant (It will take approximately the same time to cook as the eggplant).
4. Remove eggplant and garlic from oven and cool completely. If you prefer, peel the eggplant. If not, go for the rustic feel and leave the peel on.
5. In the bowl of food processor, combine tomato, red onion, garlic and olive oil. Pulse to process until well combined.
6. Add eggplant (cilantro, olives), lemon juice, salt, and pepper and pulse until ingredients are roughly chopped to the consistency of a salsa (about 4-5 pulses) and set aside.
7. Preheat oven to 450°F and place baguette slices onto baking sheet. Brush each slice lightly with olive oil.
8. Place baking sheet into oven and bake until edges are lightly golden, about 10 minutes.
9. Remove from oven, place a spoonful of eggplant spread onto each slice and place on serving platter.
10. Top with sliced scallions and serve. FINGER FOOD!! Woo hoo!
Cute blog! Figs are one of my favorite foods EVER.
ReplyDeleteLovely blog you haave
ReplyDelete