Berenjena (Eggplant) Spread
Ingredients
• 2 small organic eggplants, sliced and sweated
• A few tbsp olive oil, for boiling
• 3 garlic cloves, fine chop
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ juicy lemon, juiced, plus rind
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cayenne pepper
• 1 small bunch, fresh parsley, de-stem and chop
• 1/8 cup sunflower seeds
• ½ ripe avocado
Directions
To celebrate my first edible nightshade experience on the farm I modified “baba ghanouj,” a beloved chunky Middle Eastern dip. The original calls for tahini which is very expensive here in Costa Rica so instead I used a handful of sunflower seeds and half of a ripe avocado, both of which we’ll soon be growing on the farm. I sliced the eggplant in several thin strips in order to harvest all the seeds before cooking it. Therefore, I opted to boil instead of the traditional grilling method (roasting whole on a lit burner and allowing skin to char).
While simmering (about 20 minutes) add the olive oil and lemon rind to help retain the flavor. Once the eggplants have drained and cooled, add ingredients to a blender or food processor and away you go. As you can see we snacked on it with carrots and corn tortilla chips, but it’d be even nicer spread on toast or sandwich bread. Próxima vez. xxoo
