Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Salad Recipe

Every Romanian household serves a version of this classic dish. Some insist you chop the eggplant with the side of a ceramic plate, others argue that only wood can come in contact with the temperamental vegetable. Truth is, chop as you please and add garlic and herbs to your taste.

Recommended Equipment:
hak-messer (mezzaluna)

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds, cut in half lengthwise, stems and ends removed.
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp finely minced garlic
1 cup drained diced canned tomatoes
1 tspn sweet or hot Hungarian paprika
1/4 tspn ground cumin
1/4 tspn dried oregano
1 tspn kosher salt
1/4 tspn freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation:

1. Preheat the broiler and lightly oil a small rimmed baking sheet. Place the eggplant halves, skin side up, on the baking sheet and broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat source until the skin begins to crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Remove the eggplant from the baking sheet and place in a colander to drain. When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, remove any large seeds, pull out the eggplant meat, and discard the skin; set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the tomatoes, paprika, cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat, until everything is heated through and fully incorporated, about 5 minutes.
5. Toss in the eggplant and stir to combine. Set aside to cool. When the mixture is cool, chop by hand using a hak-messer (mezzaluna), or pulse in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. You don’t want to over process and lose the texture or cause the mixture to become thin and runny.
6. Stir in the parsley, basil, and lemon juice. Serve hot or cold.

Serves 4 to 6

Start to Finish: Under 45 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of The Kosher Carnivore: The Ultimate Meat and Poultry Book by June Hersh

Romania [ print this recipe ]

Spicy Grilled Mititei Recipe

These garlicky little bites of ground meat are Romania’s answer to trendy street food. They are crowd-pleasers hot off the grill and served on long bamboo skewers with dipping sauce or simple grainy mustard. The texture of these little sausages can vary from dense and meatball-like to authentic and spongy when seltzer and baking soda are added.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
4 to 5 garlic cloves
1 tspn kosher salt
1 tspn sweet or hot Hungarian paprika
1/2 tspn freshly ground black pepper
Generous splash of Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp seltzer or club soda, optional
2 tspn baking soda, optional

For the dipping sauce
4 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tspn ground cumin
Splash of Worcestershire sauce

Preparation:

1. Put the ground beef in a medium bowl.
2. Grate the garlic using a Microplane over the meat so the garlic juice is included; you want about 2 tablespoons total.
3. Add the salt, paprika, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and parsley. For a more authentic spongy texture add the seltzer and baking soda. Use your hands to thoroughly blend the spices into the meat.
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.
5. Combine the dipping sauce ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
6. When ready to cook, light the grill or preheat the broiler and take the meat out of the fridge.
7. Wet your hands and form the meat into rounds the size of a golf ball, then elongate them into 3-inch thumb-like shapes.
8. Grill or broil for 4 to 5 minutes, turn them over, and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer. Serve with the dipping sauce or mustard on the side.
   

Makes 12 pieces.

Start to Finish: 15 minutes to prepare the meat; at least 4 or up to 24 hours to rest in the fridge; under 15 minutes to grill.

Recipe courtesy of The Kosher Carnivore: The Ultimate Meat and Poultry Book by June Hersh

Romania [ print this recipe ]