22.5.14

Spanish Eggplant & Bell Pepper (Dip)


I spotted  this Eggplant and Bell Pepper dip from  Tapas collection of 100 essential recipes, almost as soon as I bought the book from a local library sale, about an year back. I cooked it and  ever since have been recommending this recipe to my sister, my sister-in-law and who-so-ever visits us and expresses his or her unfamiliarity with eggplant recipes. The thing is, this so-to-say "Spanish eggplant dip" is really easy to prepare and tastes great both as a spread on toasts as well as with rice and dal. Though a Spanish dish, it pairs perfectly with our Indian meals and over the past year has become one of my go-to recipes.



Owing to the citrus flavoring, and seasoning of  paprika and cilantro, this "dip" tastes very similar to Baigan Bharta. But as I mentioned, it is much easier to prepare and gets done much faster.

The original recipe calls for processing the cooked eggplant and bell pepper in the food processor along with the other ingredients. I however have never felt the need for it. So far, I have always roasted the eggplant and bell pepper and then cooked the dip in the skillet. Non-processing it, leaves the "dip"  chunky, which lends it a charm of its own.
Spanish Eggplant and Bell Pepper Dip

Prep time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes



Ingredients
  • 2 large eggplants
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • grated rind and juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • ½-1 tsp paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Directions
  1. Center the rack and preheat oven to 425 °F.
  2. Prick the eggplants and bell peppers all over with a fork or knife and brush them with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
  3. Place the eggplants and bell peppers in a baking tray lined with aluminium foil and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. The flesh of the eggplant will soften by then and the bell peppers would have deflated.
  4. Place the cooked vegetables in a container, cover them and keep them aside for at least 15 minutes, or until they are cool enough to handle.
  5. Once the vegetables have cooled down, cut the eggplants in half, scoop out the flesh, discard the skin and cut the eggplant flesh into chunks.
  6. Cut open the roasted red bell peppers, remove their skin, seeds and stems and cut the flesh into large pieces.
  7. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet or wok. Add the eggplant and red bell pepper to it and cook for 5-7 minutes.
  8. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.
  9. Next add lemon rind, lemon juice, cilantro, paprika, salt and pepper to the skillet, and using the back of a wooden spoon mash the vegetables and mix them thoroughly with the rind, juice, cilantro et al as they cook. (If you prefer a smooth paste, drain the cooked eggplant-bell pepper-garlic onto a paper towel, transfer the vegetables in a food processor, add the remaining ingredients to them and process until a smooth speckled puree is formed.)
  10. Transfer the eggplant and bell pepper dip to a serving bowl, garnish with cilantro and serve with slices of bread or toast.
I shall be sharing this recipe at most of these parties.



6 comments:

  1. Definitely one yummy dip :) so inviting, love your clicks.

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  2. Got to try this dip this weekend. Need something to go with the tasteless crackers.

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  3. love this dip, i can have it with roti too.

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  4. Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great week and come back soon!
    Miz Helen

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  5. Such an awesome dip, especially for eggplant lovers. I love the combination of roasted peppers and garlic with the mix of spices. And a beautiful starter for guests, too...

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  6. I love this type of stuff, I am going to make this today, I have all of the ingredients but might use smoked paprika instead, thank you for sharing.. :-)

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Thanks for stopping by. It was nice having you here. Have a good day.

Take care and come back soon.
Best, Tanusree

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