This recipe uses the cutest vegetable I’ve seen in a long time. A mini eggplant variety that is called Indian or baby eggplant. Another recipe inspired by Dining In, I did a mashup of two of her vegetable dishes to create this one. Since she’s such a lover of vegetables, I couldn’t NOT make something from her vegetable chapters. The original recipe uses fairy tale eggplant, which I love, but haven’t seen yet this time of year. I happened to be in a middle eastern grocery store searching for another ingredient when I spied these little beauties in the produce section. So I scooped them up, dreaming of what I could make with them and this is the result.
Mini eggplants cook beautifully in a pan.
Alison Roman’s recipe starts out with grilling tiny eggplants. I didn’t want to impede anyone from making this because they didn’t have a grill or a grill pan. So I decided to pan-cook them in a cast iron pan but these could just as easily be made in a regular skillet. Giving them a few turns on a hot pan over moderate heat, they became soft and charred. Check their doneness by squeezing them from the side with some tongs. Eggplant have a magical ability to attain soft smokiness with just stovetop cooking. No wood or charcoal required.
Plating up the mini eggplant, tahini yogurt sauce and walnut topping.
The warm eggplant are nestled onto a generous spoonful of tahini mixed with greek yogurt and lemon. A shower of toasted walnuts and fresh basil doused in garlic, olive oil and salt bring it all together for lots of contrasting flavors and textures. I loved how this dish was really quite simple in its’ preparation but brought so much to the table. This recipe would be great as a vegetarian main alongside a leafy, green salad. I had some leftovers tonight with a chicken breast I quickly pan-cooked and it was delicious. For a new way to enjoy eggplant, I would highly recommend giving this recipe a try.
If you can’t find Indian, fairytale or other small varietal of eggplant, just use small, regular eggplant and cut it into rounds about an inch thick and proceed as directed. Do try seeking out different varieties either in ethnic grocery stores or at your local farmers markets this summer. You won’t be able to pass them up, especially when they’re this adorable and tasty.
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Mini Eggplant with Tahini Yogurt, Walnuts and Basil
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- salt, kosher
- black pepper, freshly ground
- 6 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and crushed
- 1 clove garlic, grated (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup fresh, whole basil leaves
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 pound baby (Indian) or fairytale eggplant, cut in half (or small globe eggplant, cut into 1″ rounds)
Method
- In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, tahini and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, gently toss together the walnuts, garlic, chopped basil, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss the halved eggplant with the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium high heat. Cook the eggplant, turning occasionally to avoid burning. Cook until eggplant are soft and nicely charred on both sides. (Cooking time varies with the thickness of the eggplant. Lower heat if charring is happening too quickly before eggplant becomes soft.)
- To serve, spoon and spread some tahini-yogurt onto a plate. Top with the cooked eggplant and then the walnut mixture. Garnish with more fresh, whole basil leaves.
Notes
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