Eggplant Caviar Spread Ikra Recipes

EGGPLANT CAVIAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush eggplant with olive oil and roast eggplants at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until soft.
• Saute the garlic and shallots in 2 ounces olive oil over low heat until they are translucent and aromatic.
• After the eggplant has cooled, remove the pulp from the skins, and place in a food processor and process until smooth.
• Place mixture in a bowl and add remaining ingredients along with garlic and shallots. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve with pita wedges

POOR MAN'S CAVIAR: EGGPLANT SPREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to highest setting, at least 500 degrees F.
• Cut 2 or 3 slits into whole eggplant. Place eggplant directly on the oven rack in the middle of the oven and roast the eggplant until it is tender, about 20 minutes. Keep the slits facing up so that the eggplant does not loose liquids as it roasts.
• The roasted eggplant will look like a flat tire when you remove it from the oven. Using a sharp utility knife, carefully peel skin away from eggplant flesh. Add cooked eggplant flesh and juice to food processor and combine with garlic, allspice, salt, and pepper and parsley. Pulse grind the eggplant into a paste, add a drizzle of olive oil. Transfer to a serving dish. The seeds of the eggplant will make the spread resemble caviar eggs, and so the name: poor man's caviar.
• To serve, surround a bowlful of spread with crusty bread rounds.
• Tidbit: Mixed olives and selections of Italian sheep's milk cheeses are suggested accompaniments to this menu to round out your buffet. They require no recipe or preparation and add something to the offering overall. Place them on the buffet near the eggplant caviar and bread.

EGGPLANT CAVIAR

Steps:

• Roast eggplants: Using a wooden skewer, pierce eggplants all over. Turn two gas burners or a gas grill to high flame; place one eggplant on each. Cook, turning with tongs as each side blackens and softens, until skins are completely black and flesh is falling-apart tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from flame; transfer to a nonreactive baking dish. Place one end of dish on a slant so that the juices can run from the eggplants. When cool enough to handle, peel away all blackened skin.
• Place eggplant flesh in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until pureed. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the onion, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature with pita or rye bread.

EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) SALAD/CAVIAR

Steps:

• Chop and caramelize the onions on a skillet (with a little bit of olive oil) over medium heat until they are golden but not burnt.
• While the onions are cooking, without peeling the eggplant, cut it into about 1/2 inch cubes. And place in a large bowl.
• Chop the bell pepper and add to bowl.
• Cut the tomatoes and add to bowl.
• Take the cooked onions, finely chop them, and add to bowl.
• Add the red pepper flakes, salt, and finely chopped garlic to the bowl.
• Mix all the ingredients in the bowl and transfer to a 12 inch non-stick skillet.
• Pour the contents of the tomato can on top of what's in the skillet and mix it a little bit.
• Cover with a lid and cook on low/medium heat. Keep mixing the contents every 10-15 minutes to cook things evenly and prevent burning. If you notice sticking to pan, reduce heat.
• The dish is ready when most of the liquid has evaporated and all the ingredients are soft and fully cooked. Approximately 45 minutes.
• Place in fridge to cool the salad since it's best served chilled.

EGGPLANT SPREAD (BAKLAZHANNAIA IKRA)

Steps:

• Prick eggplant 3 or 4 times with fork. Wrap green pepper in aluminum foil. Place eggplant and green pepper in shallow baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees F until eggplant is very soft, about 35 minutes; cool. Remove skin from eggplant and seeds from green pepper; chop eggplant and green pepper.
• Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until onion is tender. Stir in eggplant, green pepper and remaining ingredients except bread. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
• Place mixture in blender container. Cover and blend on high speed, stopping blender occasionally to scrape sides, until smooth, about 1 minute. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours.
• Serve with bread.

SICILIAN EGGPLANT CAVIAR

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prick eggplants all over with a fork, then place on a sheet pan. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, and scoop out meat into a saucepan. Simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated and eggplant is dry, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
• In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper, and saute one minute. Add anchovies and olives, and saute another minute, stirring continuously. Add tomatoes, and cook a minute more. Add eggplant, and cook two minutes. Add cheese, croutons and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in mint and parsley until well combined. Serve immediately.

BAKLAZHANNAIA IKRA (POOR MAN'S CAVIAR)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake the eggplant on a baking sheet in the center of the oven, turning it over once or twice, until it is soft and its skin is charred and blistered, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the onions in 4 tablespoons oil over medium heat until they are soft but not brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the green pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes longer. With a rubber spatula, scrape the contents of the skillet into a mixing bowl.
• Remove the skin from the baked eggplant with a small, sharp knife, then chop the eggplant pulp finely, almost to a pure. Add it to the mixing bowl and stir in the tomatoes, sugar, salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Mix together thoroughly. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet over moderate heat and pour in the eggplant mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then turn the heat to low, cover the skillet, and simmer for 1 hour.
• Uncover and cook 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until all the moisture in the pan has evaporated and the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape in a spoon. Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and taste for seasoning, adding salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Transfer the “caviar" to a mixing bowl and chill, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to serve. Serve on squares of bread or on sesame-seed crackers.