I Dream of Aubergine

Meet Kashk-e-Bademjan; Close relative of the more commonly known Baba-Ganoush. This Iranian spread makes for a great appetizer or addition to a dinner party; filled with all the spices and aroma you could possibly ask for. Both my brother and I are huge fan's of this dip (so my fellow Westerners, you might just like it too!) Here are the basic ingredients of the dish:

Eggplant

Olive oil

Salt

Onion

Kashk  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashk

Garlic

Fresh mint/basil/or radish for decoration

Preparation:

Peel 3-5 Japanese eggplants (serves 5-8 people depending on their size). Cut into eggplant into quarters, thick slices. Place in warm salty water (to remove/reduce bitterness) for a few minutes.

Dry the eggplants and toss it in a sauté pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Brown lightly. Stir a bit; add couple teaspoons of oil, and brown a bit more.

Add a teeny bit of water to keep moist and avoid burning, stir and add some salt, pepper, and scrape browned eggplant from the bottom of the pan, and cook until it is soft and mushy.

Peel and chop a medium onion (1.5 cups) and 3 to 4 garlic cloves and saute in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Brown the onions until richly caramelised on a medium flame. Total preperation time for this dish is approximatley 1 hour from start to finish. I know that may sound like a long time but you can leave the eggplant to simmer away while you take a break.

Décor:

Fresh mint, basil, or chopped radish all add great color and taste as  an edible garnish. Drizzle some kashk on top – base the amount you add according to how much you like the flavor. If the kashk is too thick, dilute it in a bit of water. Finally, grab your favorite flatbread (I suggest Sangak or Pita), scoop and enjoy!

I should mention that Kashk-e-Badamjan can be bought ready-to-serve in an Iranian grocery (how Western of them!) If you do purchase the ready made spread, heat it up at home in a saute pan and add garlic/salt/olive oil/kashk to taste and you will be able to fool the best of them!