[Sca-cooks] Better than baba ganoush, but is it period?

[david friedman]

>Gianotta  wrote:
>
>>My husband and I went out last night to our favorite little Turkish 
>>restaurant. The owners also operate a deli up the road where I get 
>>my rosewater for cosmetics and cooking, my tahini, and great fresh 
>>bread and fresh feta and other goodies. But I digress. I picked out 
>>as an appetizer this cold dish comprising roasted eggplant, chopped 
>>coarsely and mixed with parley, green pepper, bits of carrot, lemon 
>>juice, vinegar, garlic, and olive oil. It was heaven spread on the 
>>hot bread with bits of onion, sesame, and poppyseed that was 
>>brought to our table. And it was not bitter at all, which is what I 
>>find most eggplant dishes to be
>>
>>I didn't catch the name of the dish, but it definitely seems more 
>>of a relation to tapenade. Turkish tapenade, if you will. I have 
>>vowed to track down a recipe. Anyone have a recipe that's similar, 
>>but period? Are tapenades period?
>>
>
>Is this something like it?  I don't have a Turkish name for it but 
>this looks similar. 
>
>      Turkish Eggplant Salad
>       <http://home.att.net/~ashburysaubergines/t-z/a61.htm>
>
>1 large eggplant 1 tablespoon olive oil
>1 tablespoon lemon juice
>1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
>1 cup plain yogurt
>1 medium-sized bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
>salt and pepper
>romaine lettuce leaves
>2 tomatoes
>2 tablespoons chopped parsley
>
>With a fork, pierce skin of eggplant. Bake eggplant in a rimmed pan 
>in a 400 degrees oven for 1 hour or until very soft; cool. Split in 
>half and scoop out pulp into a bowl. Mash pulp with a fork. Mix in 
>oil, lemon juice, garlic, green pepper and salt and pepper to taste. 
>Cover and chill for 2 hours.
>
>To serve: Arrange romaine lettuce leaves on platter. Mound eggplant 
>in center. Garnish with tomato wedges and fresh parsley.
>
>Serves 6.
>
>Or maybe:
>
>      Title: TURKISH EGGPLANT SALAD
>  Categories: Salads, Appetizers, Vegetables
>       Yield: 4 servings
>        1 lg Eggplant
>            Juice of 1/2 lemon
>            Salt
>     1/3 c  Extra virgin olive oil
>       2 ts Mashed garlic
>   2 1/2 tb Vinegar
>            Tomato slices, onion slices
>            -- black Greek olives for
>            -- garnish
>    Cook unpeeled eggplant until it is charred on the
>   outside & the flesh is thoroughly soft.  Cool slightly
>   & then peel.  Wipe clean & squeeze out all the water.
>     Place eggplant in a bowl with the lemon juice & salt.
>   Mash well.  Add olive oil, garlic & vinegar, blend
>   thoroughly.  Serve on a plate garnished with tomato,
>   onion & olives.
>     Ayla Esen Algar, "The Complete Book of Turkish Cooking"

Note that both of these have New World ingredients in them (green 
pepper and tomato).

My favorite period eggplant dip is Badinjan Muhassa (recipe in the 
Miscellany, webbed on my site), but it's noticeably different from 
these. You might want to look through the Andalusian cookbook (also 
webbed on my site) to see if you can find something closer; nothing 
immediately occurs to me.
-- 
David/Cariadoc
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/