Roasted Eggplant Yogurt Cheese Dip Recipes

EGGPLANT-YOGURT DIP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wrap garlic loosely in foil. Put garlic and eggplants on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until eggplants and garlic are soft and eggplant skins begin to blister and blacken, about 45 minutes. Remove garlic from oven.
• Raise oven temperature to broil, and broil eggplants until skins are charred, about 3 minutes.Transfer to wire racks, and let cool completely.
• Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion slices; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
• Whisk together chopped onion, yogurt, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Squeeze roasted-garlic pulp into yogurt mixture, and stir well.
• Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Scrape flesh into a large fine sieve set over a large bowl; let drain 15 minutes. Discard liquid. Stir eggplant and the salt into yogurt mixture; season with pepper. Top with reserved cooked onion.

ROASTED-EGGPLANT DIP WITH GREEK YOGURT

Steps:

• Using tongs, cook eggplants one at a time over the flame of a gas burner (or a grill), turning as skin chars and bubbles, until completely soft, about 15 minutes. (If eggplant doesn't soften, finish cooking on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven.) Let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Peel off charred skin and discard. Coarsely chop the eggplants, and place in a colander to drain, about 1 hour. Finely chop, and transfer to a bowl.
• Using a chef's knife, press flat side of blade back and forth across garlic and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to make a paste. Mix into eggplant. Stir in oil. Mix in yogurt and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. (Dip can be refrigerated, for up to 1 day.) Drizzle with oil before serving.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH YOGHURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the Yoghurt Sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside for the flavours to develop. The longer you leave it, the better it will taste.
• Use a potato peeler to peel "strips" off the eggplant vertically as per the photo below. If your potato peeler is not sharp enough or if the eggplant is on the soft side, you might need to do this with a small sharp knife.
• Cut the eggplant into 1.5cm / 2/3" thick rounds.
• Brush one side of each eggplant with olive oil. The more you use, the yummier it will be!
• Sprinkle the oiled side of the eggplant with salt and pepper.
• Heat a griddle pan (or BBQ) on medium high heat. (Note 5)
• Place the oiled side of each eggplant onto the pan and grill for 2 to 3 minutes until it gets deep char lines on it. While the first side is cooking, brush the other side of each eggplant with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Turn the eggplant and cook the other side until the eggplant is cooked through but still holding it's shape. The easy way to tell is to prod the centre - if you feel resistance, it needs to cook more.
• Remove the eggplant onto a serving plate and let it cool for a few minutes. Then spoon a dollop of the yoghurt sauce on each, and scatter with coriander/cilantro, mint, pomegranate seeds and chili. Drizzle with extra olive oil and serve with cheeks or wedges of lemon, if desired.

ROASTED EGGPLANT-YOGURT CHEESE DIP

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400. Using a fork, prick eggplant in several places to keep it from bursting. Put on a baking sheet and roast on oven's center rack for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it can be easily pierced with a knife. Let eggplant cool until safe to handle
• Remove skin from eggplant and put flesh in a food processor along with olive oil, garlic, yogurt cheese, lemon juice, salt and cayenne. Pulse mixture until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 20 to 30 seconds. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve with toasted pita chips or crudités.