RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Karen Selwyn Eggplant, Yemenite in Spicy Tomato Sauce - pareve
Today, I bought Faye Levy's cookbook, INTERNATIONAL JEWISH COOKBOOK, because it contained delicious sounding recipes including the following one for eggplant salad. Yemenite Eggplant in Spicy Tomato Sauce 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/4 lbs) salt 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil for sauteeing onions 6 tablespoons additional oil for sauteeing eggplant 1 medium onion, minced 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 3/4 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon turmeric 1 3/4 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped OR 2 (28 oz) cans plum tomatoes, drained and chopped salt and pepper pinch of cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons tomato paste (optional) 3 medium garlic cloves, minced Cut peel from eggplant. Remove ends. Cut eggplant into 3/8 inch crosswise slices. Sprinkle slices lightly but evenly with salt on both sides and put in a colander. Place colander over a bowl. In addition, place a second bowl on top of the eggplant slices in the colander. Put something heavy inside this second bowl. Let weighted eggplant drain for 30 minutes. Turn the eggplant slices over at this point and continue the weighting, draining process for another 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels. Heat oil for onions in saucepan. Add onion and saute over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until onions are soft and light golden. Add cumin, paprika, and turmeric. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cayenne. Stir well. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and cook over low heat, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until tomatoes are very soft. Add tomato paste. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as desired. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons of remaining oil and saute half the eggplant for 2 minutes on each side. Set sauteed eggplant aside and continue sauteeing procedure with remaining eggplant. Lightly oil a shallow 5-cup baking dish. Arrange alternate layers of eggplant and sauce, ending with sauce. Bake 30 minutes or until eggplant is very tender, basting occasionally. Serve hot or at room temperature. Notes: This recipe was listed as part of a Sephardic menu for Succot. If I were making this dish out of season and good ripe tomatoes were not available, I would use the diced canned tomatoes that are labeled "Fresh Cuts" rather than the specified canned Italian plum tomatoes. Of the canned varieties, I have come to favor "Fresh Cuts" or "Fresh Selections" or whatever the manufacturers call them. As written, this recipe reads like a layered casserole. If I were serving this as part of a platter of dips, as originally eaten, I would allow the casserole to cool and then puree it and serve at room temperature with pita triangles.
