Roasted Eggplant Dip (not baba ganoush)

I recently had an opportunity to make trial run foods for potential clients of mine. And one of the first things that I wanted to make was this eggplant dip. I call it, eggplant dip but not baba ganoush, because generally when people think of roasted/grilled eggplant, in a dip form, they think of baba ganoush.
I saw the inspiration for this recipe on Diner's Journal last summer and it’s been stashed away in my “must make when eggplant is in season” file ever since. As soon as eggplant made its debut at this year's farmer’s markets, I got lots and lots of it. I gave this recipe a trial when I first bought seasonal eggplant from the market. It was a big hit so I made it again and then again for my clients. The verdict? they loved it.

I was initially worried springing on this dish in my first taste test with clients because eggplant is generally a miss for most people. This poor little purple vegetable gets such a bad rap because of its bitter qualities and tough outer skin. However when handled properly, the eggplant will reward you and your belly in many ways. Sometimes when we spot baby eggplants, specific to India, we stuff them with coconut and cilantro filling, then there’s the skinny, Asian eggplants that are great for stir fries with broccoli and tofu. And the round Italian eggplants are perfect for slicing, dredging in egg batter, dipping in flour and bread crumb mixture and pan frying in olive oil. So the opportunities are endless with eggplant.

Few things to be mindful of with the eggplant is 1. Salt removes the bitter quality and 2. peel the skin, only when necessary. Before cooking with eggplant, drizzle the slices or cubes with salt and let it sit in a colander in the sink for 30 minutes. The salt will remove the bitterness from the eggplant. And peeling the skin is contingent upon how the eggplant will be cooked. For stuffed baby eggplants, they are pressure cooked therefore tenderizing the skin and the skin adds flavor. For a stir fry, removing the skin is crucial because the skin will take longer time to cook then the rest of the vegetables and ingredients in the wok. (and that defeats the purpose of a quick stir fry.) For the thinly sliced Italian globes that are battered and pan fried, the skin cooks quickly so leaving it on is fine however if you prefer to remove the skin that’s acceptable also. Whereas in this roasted eggplant, it is good measure to leave the skin on. The skin will act as a container and you can scoop all the meat and seeds out of the skin when it comes out of the oven.

And onto one of the simplest and best eggplant dip recipes.

Roasted Eggplant Dip
Adapted from Diner's Journal

Ingredients

1 pound eggplant, Italian Globe or smaller variety
1 medium onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
Kosher Salt and Black pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or pinch of cayenne

Start a charcoal grill or oven at 375 degrees. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise up to stem, but do not cut through. Spread about 2/3 of the onion and garlic between the eggplant halves and press the two sides back together.

Roast or Grill eggplants, turning once or twice, until they are blackened and collapsed, 40 to 45 minutes in the oven and 25 to 30 minutes on the grill. If the skin burns a little, don’t worry; the skin’s importance is to cook the inside of the eggplant thoroughly and prevent the meat from burning. Meanwhile, mix remaining garlic and onion with yogurt; season to taste with salt, pepper and Aleppo pepper.
When it's cooked, let it cool, then remove meat of the eggplant from the skin into a bowl. Make sure to get all the roasted onion and garlic mixture with the meat. Mash the eggplant, then stir in the yogurt dressing. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Here I served the dip with pita chips, however pita bread, sliced artisan bread, raw veggies are all great to serve with this dip.

Note: Aleppo Pepper is from Syria and has a distinct smoky, earthy quality and is moderately hot.