Fire Roasted Eggplant with Blistered Shishito Peppers

This recipe from Chef Hany Ali is an updated version of a classic Middle Eastern dish he enjoyed as a child. Eggplants are flash fried then fire grilled and topped with an incredibly addictive cumin vinaigrette. He serves it over homemade hummus. We've included his recipe in the notes below if you want to make your own. Store-bought hummus would also work in a pinch. Serve with potato chips, carrot sticks and/or pita bread.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 5

Total Time 35

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Servings servings

Calories 1147 kcal

Ingredients

For the eggplants

4 Japanese eggplants halved lengthwise and scored halfway through
12 shishito peppers
12 heirloom cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

For the cumin vinaigrette

½ cup chopped garlic
2 cups Chef’s Blend Olive Oil or favorite extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup white distilled vinegar
1 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon Salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoon cumin

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients of the vinaigrette. Gently whisk the mixture and let it sit for 20 minutes.
While your vinaigrette is setting, place 2 quarts of frying oil in a heavy-bottomed 8-quart pot. Heat oil to 350 degrees F (180°C)
Begin to fry your eggplant by placing it in the frying oil for about 2 minutes - more time may be needed if your eggplant is on the larger side. Remove from oil and place on a drain rack or a paper towel. Lastly, fry your shishito peppers for about 1 minute.
Place eggplant onto a heated grill and fire roast until grill marks become present. Remove from grill.
Stuff each eggplant with roughly 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Next, place tomatoes and shishito peppers into a bowl and toss with remaining vinaigrette.
On desired plate, place about a ½ cup of the chickpea purée onto one side of the plate. In a decorative place, add eggplant, and top with tomatoes and shishito peppers.

Notes

CHICKPEA PURÉE

Yield: Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

6 c Dried Chickpeas (for canned chickpeas, skip to step #2)
½ c Tahini paste
2 c Hot water
¼ c Lemon juice
¼ c Chopped garlic
2 tbsp Salt
1 tbsp Black Pepper
2 tbsp Cumin

DIRECTIONS

1. If starting with dry chickpeas, allow extra time for soaking (overnight), and cooking (about 2 hours). To cook dry chickpeas, soak chickpeas in plenty of water overnight (water needs to be at least double the amount of chickpeas).

2. When ready, drain chickpeas and place them in a medium-sized pot. Cover with water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let it simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

3. If using canned chickpeas, make sure they are drained and rinsed. For a creamy consistency, quickly simmer for 20 minutes in water so that they soften. Strain and cool.

4. In a separate bowl, combine and whisk tahini paste and hot water. Once it becomes a smooth texture, add lemon juice, chopped garlic, salt and pepper, and cumin.

5. In a food processor, add chickpeas (process is approximately 60 seconds) and slowly pour the tahini mix. Continue to process for about five minutes or until the chickpeas are a smooth consistency. (Sometimes, you must add additional water if the chickpeas are extra starchy. Adjust the amount of salt and pepper, cumin, and lemon juice as needed.)

Nutrition

Serving: 1portionCalories: 1147kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 8gFat: 110gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 79gSodium: 1785mgPotassium: 1471mgFiber: 15gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 2930IUVitamin C: 329mgCalcium: 150mgIron: 6mg

Keyword bell peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, chickpeas, chunky olive oil dip, cumin, eggplant, garlic, Hummus, lemon, parsley, shishito

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