Eggplant Pilaf With Pine Nuts And Cumin Recipes

EGGPLANT PILAF WITH PINE NUTS AND CUMIN

Steps:

• Cover the eggplant with water in a bowl and add about 1 1/2 tablespoons salt. Soak 30 minutes. Drain eggplant and squeeze by handfuls to remove excess moisture, then pat dry.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12" nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot but not smoking, and sauté eggplant, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 7 minutes. Cool eggplant.
• Cook onions in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 3-4 quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until softened. Add rice and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, raisins, remaining 1/2 tablespoon salt, cumin and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered and undisturbed, until rice is tender, about 12 minutes.
• Fluff rice with a fork and gently stir in tomato and eggplant. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Uncover and cool 10 minutes. Stir in dill, then transfer pilaf to a serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with pine nuts(or pistachios).
• The pilaf can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat in the microwave.
• Makes 6 servings.

EGGPLANT STIR-FRIED WITH PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Combine 1/3 cup cornstarch with the flour in a resealable plastic bag and shake it well;rinse the eggplant, drain it and shake it in the cornstarch mixture in batches, placing it in a large bowl as it's coated.
• In a wok heat 1 cup of the oil over high heat until hot but not smoking; add pine nuts with a strainer, removing it as soon as pine nuts are golden; drain on paper towels.
• Add another 1 1/2 cups of oil to the wok and heat to 375° on a deep fat thermometer; fry eggplant in three batches, stirring and turning until golden, about 6 minutes; drain 5 minutes in a colander set over a bowl, then pour into a serving bowl.
• Stir the soy sauce, sugar, remaining teaspoon of cornstarch and the broth in a small bowl until cornstarch is dissolved.
• Remove the oil from the wok, wipe it dry with a paper towel and add the final 1 1/2 tsp of oil; heat and when hot stir-fry the gingerroot, scallion, garlic and chili sauce until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir the soy sauce mixture and add it to the scallion mixture; stir and bring mixture to a boil; add sesame oil and pine nuts; stir and pour over eggplant.

TURKISH EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) PILAF (PATLICANLI PILAV)

Steps:

• Cut eggplants into large cubes with skin on. Place in a colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. Leave for 30 minutes.
• Rince and dry eggplant with paper towels.
• Half onion lengthwise and slice.
• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a heavy pan and fry eggplant cubes until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
• Add the remaining oil and gently fry the onion until transparent. Add tomatoes, seasoning, herbs and fried eggplant. Bring to a boil.
• Wash rice until the water runs clear. Drain and place on top of the eggplant mixture. Add chicken stock.
• Bring to a boil without stirring. Reduce heat, cover pan and leave to simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Turn off heat, place a few paper towels over the rim of the pan and replace the lid (This is important don't ignore this part or your pilav won't be as fluffy!).
• Stir gently and turn into a heated serving dish.
• Serve with yogurt and then enjoy the delicious taste.

MAUREEN ABOOD'S EGGPLANT WITH LAMB, TOMATO AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat broiler and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
• Brush both sides of eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Arrange slices on prepared baking sheet and broil in batches until they are deep mahogany brown, turning once halfway through, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
• Adjust the oven to 375 degrees with rack positioned in the center.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, but not browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground lamb or beef, stirring frequently and breaking up meat into very small pieces with the side of a metal spoon. Season with remaining teaspoon salt, cinnamon and pepper. Sauté until meat is just cooked through. Taste and add more salt or pepper, or both, as needed.
• In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add pine nuts and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir nuts to coat them with butter and continue stirring constantly until nuts are golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Keep a close watch over the nuts; they can burn quickly once they begin to brown. Transfer nuts to a bowl while still warm and salt them lightly.
• Coat a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish. Lay 1/3 of the eggplant slices in a single layer over the sauce, covering as much surface area of the bottom of the dish as possible. Spoon half the meat evenly over eggplant. Pour 1/3 of the remaining tomato sauce evenly over meat. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the pine nuts. Layer again with eggplant, meat, tomato sauce and pine nuts. Finish with a layer of eggplant and cover with more tomato sauce, sprinkling top with pine nuts.
• Pour 1 cup warm water around the perimeter of the baking dish. (Sauce will thicken as it bakes.) Cover pan with foil and bake for 90 minutes. Remove foil and top eggplant evenly with mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes longer, uncovered, or until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Serve eggplant warm, over rice.

EGGPLANT PILAF WITH PISTACHIOS AND CINNAMON

Steps:

• Cover eggplant with water in a bowl and add 1 1/2 tablespoons salt. Soak 30 minutes. Drain eggplant and squeeze handfuls to remove excess moisture, then pat dry.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté eggplant, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 7 minutes. Cool eggplant.
• Cook onions in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add rice and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, raisins, remaining 1/2 tablespoon salt, and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered and undisturbed, until rice is tender, about 12 minutes.
• Fluff rice with a fork and gently stir in tomato and eggplant. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Uncover and cool 10 minutes. Stir in dill, then transfer pilaf to a serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with pistachios.

EGGPLANT CANNELLONI WITH PINE NUT ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a nonstick baking pan. Arrange eggplant in a single layer in the pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until eggplant is flexible enough to roll up easily. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons water in a large pan, add the bell pepper, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté until just tender, adding more water if needed. Add the spinach and VegiZest or other no-salt seasoning blend, and cook until spinach is wilted. Add the cooked quinoa.
• Transfer to a mixing bowl. Mix in 2-3 tablespoons of the pasta sauce and all of the shredded cheese. Spread about 1/4 cup of the pasta sauce in a baking pan. Put some of the vegetable mixture on each eggplant slice, roll up, and place in the pan. Pour remaining sauce over the eggplant rolls. Bake for 20 minutes, until heated through.
• To make romesco sauce, sauté the onions, garlic, and tomatoes in a little water or white wine until the onions are translucent, add chili powder, and sauté an extra minute. Put onion mixture in a high-powered blender with the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. Serve eggplant with a drizzle of romesco sauce.

EGGPLANT WITH LAMB AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Brown the lamb, onion and garlic in the oil, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the meat is browned, add the salt, pepper, tomato sauce, red wine, cinnamon, allspice and pine nuts. Cook for about 15 minutes while the sauce reduces a little.
• Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Lightly brown them in a separate skillet with just a touch of olive oil. Turn and brown the other sides. Do not overcook, just brown them.
• Place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet and spread some of the filling on each.
• Bake in a 375 degree F. oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until it is all hot and the eggplant is tender.

ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH SPICED CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil two baking sheets (or use nonstick). Combine the 1/4 cup olive oil and the peanut oil. Brush eggplant slices on both sides with the mixture, then place on pans. Roast, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, spices and molasses, and bring to a simmer. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste. (The amount of sugar will depend on the tomatoes' sweetness; there should be a hint of sweetness in the mixture.) Simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook until thick, 5 to 10 minutes more. Stir in half the pine nuts and set aside.
• To serve, place a slice of eggplant on a platter and spoon tomato-chickpea mixture onto the wide end of the slice. Fold the narrower end of the slice over to cover the filling and place a mint leaf on top. Repeat with remaining slices and garnish with remaining pine nuts. Serve cold or at room temperature, topping each piece with a dollop of yogurt, if using.