It’s the end of the summer, and the farmers markets near me are full of wonderful produce. There are so many vegetables to choose from and so much to be excited about, and often I find myself torn deciding what to cook this week. Zucchini! Potatoes! Tomatoes! Cucumbers! Peeeeepppppeeeers! Eggplant!!!!!

I’m not sure if you feel the same, but I often find myself with the dilemma of how much I love eating eggplant, but I don’t always like to cook it. It usually takes me a long time to cook an eggplant, and it’s one of those vegetables that you have to pair with something else because the eggplant on its own is not really that fulfilling. My usual go-to recipe for eggplant is either diced and sautéed for pasta, or pan-fried and smothered with homemade marinara sauce and lots of parsley. So, for today’s recipe I wanted to challenge myself to be creative, and do something different with the lovely eggplant.

And this brings me to my inspiration for the recipe – the amazing Harissa! For a long time I have been drooling over the fingerling potatoes at Tilia restaurant in Minneapolis, as they are served with a wonderful harissa sauce that’s nothing I had tasted before. Most store-bought harissa sauces have a pronounced heat and punch, and Tilia’s harissa is full of roasted peppers flavor, cumin, but without the strong, overpowering heat that blocks the other flavors. For many years I have been on a shortcut route by buying harissa sauces from ethnic stores and online, with the hope that at least one of them will be close to Tilia’s – but no success. So, frustrated and determined I finally decided to pull up my sleeves, put my apron on and attempt to recreate the flavors as I experienced them of what Tilia’s harissa sauce tastes like. 

So here I am, super excited to report that (I believe) I successfully nailed my dreamy harissa sauce! Yay!!! It blends roasted red peppers, tomato paste, lots of cumin, a touch of sweetness for balance, and the wonderful harissa spice blend from my new friends at Spice Your Life, who are as passionate about spices as I am about cooking and eating. I discovered Spice Your Life shop in Minneapolis by accident, and I was so fascinated by their story and how their love and passion for spices, combined with many years living and working in the middle-east had inspired them to bring that abundance to Minneapolis. I found kindred spirit in the founders, and we had many passionate conversions about food and its healing power, spices and recipes. ***This is not an ad for Spice Your Life. It is a genuine appreciation and reflection of people who love what they do, and who are so authentic in their expression of how they share their passion, and knowledge with their community. 

This recipe, with it's blend of spices and ingredients, transports me to the middle-east where spices are abundant and have the power to transform a simple vegetable to an explosion of aromas and flavors. Freshly ground cumin, hot and sweet peppers, eggplant, feta cheese, mint parsley, and a creamy roasted garlic yogurt sauce. Eating that dish makes me feel like I am enjoying a lunch at a tiny, plastic cloth-lined table at one of those colorful, busy spice markets in Morocco or Turkey. It is so full of exotic spices and flavors, and makes me want to buy a ticket to travel far, far east for a while and be immersed in unknown cultures. 

I hope that my rumbling and passion for harissa sauce made you a bit curious about what Iggy is excited about. So now...close your eyes, and imagine yourself being at my kitchen, sitting on my tiny table, sipping a glass of wine, chatting with me as you are being immersed in the wonderful aromas and flavors coming from my stove as I cook us lunch. Fragrant cumin, sweet roasted garlic, olive oil roasted eggplant, and fresh mint and parsley. 

Roasted Eggplant with Harissa Sauce, Feta and Mint / Печен Патладжан по Марокански

Serves 4 (generously) or 6-8 (as a side dish)

Ingredients:

Roasted Eggplant

• 2 eggplants cut in half lengthwise
• Olive or Sunflower oil for roasting
• Salt and pepper

Harissa Sauce

• 1 jar (12oz) roasted red peppers, drained
• 1 tbsp tomato paste 
• 2 tbsp Spice Your Life (or a brand of your choice) Harissa Spice Blend
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt

Roasted Garlic Sauce

• 1 large garlic head
• 1 cup plain, full fat, Greek or Icelandic yogurt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

Toppings

• 2oz-3oz mild feta cheese (Israeli or French)
• Handful of fresh parley leaves
• Handful of fresh mint leaves

Directions:

Roasted Eggplant 

Preheat oven to 400F. 

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Prepare the garlic for the yogurt sauce: Peel and discard the papery outer layers of the whole garlic bulb, leaving intact the skins of the individual cloves of garlic. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/4 to a 1/2 inch from the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic. Place the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over the exposed head, and wrap the garlic the foil. Place in the baking sheet.

Eggplant: Score the flesh of the eggplant with a knife in a diamond shape, cutting deep into the flesh but not through the skin. Brush eggplant flesh with olive or sunflower oil and season generously with salt and some pepper. Place eggplant cut-side down on the lined baking sheet and roast for 35-40 minutes, or until the back of the eggplant looks collapsed and puckered. Let the eggplant cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Harissa Sauce 

While the eggplant is roasting, place all the Harissa sauce ingredients in a food processor (or use an immersion a blender) and puree until smooth. Taste and add salt to taste, more lemon juice if needed, or more Harissa spice if you like it spicier. Place the sauce in a jar or a container for later. Makes about 1 cup (you will have some leftovers – wonderful on smashed potatoes, breakfast eggs, or as sandwich spread).

Roasted Garlic Yogurt Sauce

Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins. Place all roasted garlic cloves into the food processor bowl. Add the rest of the roasted garlic sauce ingredients. Wizz until smooth. Taste and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice.

Assembly

Use dinner plates or pasta bowls if serving individually, or a large serving platter if serving as an appetizer for a group. Spread the yogurt sauce (about 3 tablespoons of the for each eggplant half) and place eggplant on top. Top each eggplant half with about 2 tablespoons of Harissa sauce, large pieces of feta, fresh parsley and mint leaves. Finish by drizzling some olive oil and light dusting of Harissa spice.