eggplant are available in countless variations. White, purple, green, striped and also orange. The latter come from Turkey, but are considered bitter when ripe. And of course you can’t buy them anywhere. If you want them, you have to grow them yourself. I prefer the dark purple ones when they are as big as my hand. Or smaller. The lighter and striped ones, which usually look very nice from the outside, usually have larger kernels. And so it’s like with watermelon and grapes – without seeds, or at least only with small ones, it’s better.
Eggplants want attention, otherwise they will punish every cook with their tastelessness. Anyone who has ever chewed on their rubbery texture will confirm this. However, if you roast them in the oven or fry them in a pan, an eggplant can become something great. Especially when there is a lot of oil involved (see Parmigiana).
The easiest way is to cut them in half, brush them with a little oil and sprinkle salt and then in the oven to cook. The flesh becomes wonderfully soft and creamy. And goes perfectly with the complex flavors in this recipe. Here olives meet capers, almonds and dates. Plus cumin, cinnamon and orange. It gets fresh thanks to the lemon and the cool sesame yoghurt. And even though this recipe has a slightly longer list of ingredients – it’s worth it. And it’s perfect for warm summer evenings. Because that’s exactly what I had to think about last night when I was walking along Lake Wörthsee after sunset. The sky turned from deep blue to orange, the water black on which the orange reflections danced like lights. Now, right now, with a glass of cool rosé, this dish would have its magical moment.
But it tastes good even without this backdrop. Promised.
The variety of eggplants
Eggplant from the oven with almonds, sesame yoghurt, herbs and an orange-cinnamon dressing
For two
2 medium eggplants or 5 small eggplants
some olive oil for brushing
Sea salt
½ tsp ground cumin
freshly ground pepper
8 dates, sliced
2 tablespoons unpeeled almonds, roughly chopped
1 tbsp drained capers
approx. 8 large, pitted green olives, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons finely diced celery or radishes
2 tbsp finely chopped herbs (parsley, coriander, mint)
Yoghurt tahini cream
1 cup (200g) Greek cream yogurt
2 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
Zest of a lemon
Juice of half a lemon
½ tsp ground cumin
Sea salt and pepper
Orange cinnamon dressing
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tbsp liquid honey or date syrup
Zest of an untreated orange
½ tsp chili flakes
½ tsp cinnamon
½ small red onion, finely diced
Sea salt and pepper
a few pomegranate seeds for decoration
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan oven (200°C top/bottom heat).
Halve the eggplants lengthwise and score the inside crosswise with the tip of a knife. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and roast the aubergines, cut side down, for 30 (for small aubergines) – 45 minutes.
Mix the dates, olives, capers, celery (or radishes), almonds and herbs in a bowl.
Mix yogurt with tahini, lemon juice and zest. Salt, pepper and season with cumin.
Mix all the ingredients for the orange cinnamon dressing.
First spread the yogurt-tahini cream on plates. Place the aubergines on top and sprinkle with the olive-caper-almond mixture. Spread the orange-cinnamon dressing over it and finally sprinkle with a few pomegranate seeds.
