Eggplant Walnut PatÉ Recipes

GEORGIAN EGGPLANT WITH WALNUTS

Steps:

• Slice the Chinese eggplant lengthwise to about 1/3 of an inch thick. Use a mandolin slicer or regular knife.
• Lay the eggplant out on towels and salt it liberally. Leave it for half an hour and turn it over and salt the other side. It should "weep" and the bitter liquid seeps out. Rinse and pat dry.
• Heat the oil over medium heat and fry the eggplant slices in batches about 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a dish and cover.
• For the filling, take out a food processor (or pestle and mortar) and place in it all the rest of the ingredients except the cilantro and pomegranate seeds for garnish. Process on high for forty seconds or so then unplug and push down the sides with a spatula. Continue to process on high until thoroughly combined in a rough paste.
• Refrigerate the filling for 2 hours or overnight, as the flavors need time to set and blend together.
• Take one strip of the eggplant at a time and fill each with about a tablespoon of filling, folding the strip evenly like a book with the filling in the middle.
• Garnish with roughly chopped cilantro and pomegranate seeds. Serve at room temperature.

EGGPLANT WALNUT PATE BY DR ANDREW WEIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F Pierce the eggplant with a fork in several places and bake until very soft, about 45 minutes.
• While the eggplant is baking, grind the walnuts in a food processor until very fine, and set aside.
• Remove the eggplant from oven, slash to let steam escape, drain off any liquid, and scrape the pulp into a food processor with the ginger root, garlic and olive oil. Process until smooth.
• Add the ground walnuts and allspice, and process until smooth.
• Season to taste with the salt, and hot pepper sauce.
• Spoon into a small loaf dish and chill several hours or until firm.

EGGPLANT CRISP WITH WALNUT STREUSEL

Steps:

• Adjust two racks to the top and bottom position of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Pierce the eggplants all over with a fork, and place on the foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast on the top rack until completely soft when pierced with a paring knife, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss the grape tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds pepper. Spread on a small baking sheet and roast in the same oven until the tomatoes are soft and wrinkled, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Mix together the panko, walnuts, flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Drizzle in 3 tablespoons olive oil and mix until the mixture starts to clump. Reserve.
• When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, halve them and scoop the soft flesh into the bowl with the tomatoes (if the eggplants are too slippery to handle, hold them with a clean towel while scooping). Discard the skins and stems. Using a fork or spoon, mash the eggplant into smaller bite-sized pieces. (It's okay if the tomatoes get mashed in the process.) Add the garlic, 1 tablespoon each of dill and parsley, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Check for seasoning and add more salt, if necessary.
• Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a wide 2-quart baking dish. Spread the eggplant mixture in the dish. Sprinkle feta in an even layer, then top with the reserved panko-walnut mixture. Bake until the top is golden brown and the eggplant is hot, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Right before serving, sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons each dill and parsley and the lemon zest.

STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH WALNUTS

Steps:

• Put the bulgur in a bowl and add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 cup boiling water. Cover and let sit until the bulgur is tender and the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the eggplant halves cut-side down in the skillet and season with salt, then place another skillet on top and weigh it down with large cans. Cook until the eggplant is soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Uncover, flip the eggplant and season with salt, then cover, weigh down and cook about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
• Pulse the walnuts, onion, celery and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the cilantro, tarragon and coriander and pulse until smooth. Add the bulgur and vinegar and pulse once or twice to combine. Add 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Spread the bulgur mixture evenly on the cut sides of 3 eggplant halves; sandwich with the remaining halves. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Slice the stuffed eggplant into pieces, sprinkle with the feta and drizzle with olive oil.

JULIA CHILD'S EGGPLANT-WALNUT DIP

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut green caps off eggplants and place them whole in a baking dish. Bake until very soft and collapsing, 30 to 35 minutes. When cool enough to handle, scrape flesh into the bowl of a mixer (or use a hand mixer).
• Beat at high speed for about two minutes, until smooth and fluffy. Add walnuts, garlic, ginger, allspice, two big pinches of salt and one of pepper. Shake in a few dashes of hot sauce. Mix well.
• With the mixer running, gradually drizzle in oil, as if making mayonnaise, just until mixture is emulsified and creamy. Stop, taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper and hot sauce. If desired, beat in remaining olive oil.
• Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to one week.

EGGPLANT PURéE WITH WALNUTS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Wash the eggplants and pat dry. Puncture the skin in several places with a fork. Place on an ungreased pan and bake for about 25 minutes, turning, until the skin is blistered and shriveled. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes, until easy to handle.
• 2. While the eggplants are roasting, pulse the garlic, walnuts, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil together in a food processor until ground and pastelike.
• 3. Cut off the stem and cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out the pulp, discarding as many of the seeds as possible. Add the eggplant, a little at a time, to the bowl of the food processor and pulse on and off. Add the lemon juice, vinegar, and remaining olive oil and pulse until well combined. The eggplant puree does not have to be perfectly smooth. Season with salt and add a bit of sugar if necessary, as eggplants sometimes impart a trace of bitterness.

ROAST EGGPLANT WITH WALNUTS

Steps:

• Pierce the eggplants with a sharp fork in two or three places (to keep them from exploding) and place them as high as you can on a V-rack roaster. Set over a medium-low gas flame or over hot coals and grill, turning about three times, 15 minutes to a side, or until completely soft and the skin is black and blistery, about 45 minutes total. The longer and slower the grilling, the creamier the eggplant will be. When the eggplants collapse, remove from the grill and let cool slightly. Remove the black parched skin, then squeeze gently to remove any juices. Discard the juices, and crush the pulp to a puree with a fork.
• Meanwhile, grill the pepper. Remove the pepper when soft, cover with a sheet of plastic and allow to cool. Core, seed and slip off the skin. Chop fine and mix with the eggplant.
• Mash the garlic to a paste with half the walnuts and the salt in a mortar and pestle or food processor. Add the cheese, oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper, and pulse to combine.
• In a serving bowl, combine the garlic-walnut mixture with the eggplant-pepper pulp and mix well. Correct the seasoning. Mix the parsley and remaining walnuts and sprinkle on top. Serve with pita toasted until crisp. May be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for several days.