Last fall, I was tasked with cooking up some dishes for a Romanian-inspired dinner for a church-related event. I, along with the other members of the committee in charge, prepared goulash, polenta, and numerous other dishes for a group of about 45. It was quite an experience for me, being the first time I was cooking (mostly me alone at the stove) for such a large group. It was a lovely event, and we got a lot of positive feedback about the food. We do a large dinner like this every year as a fundraising effort, alternating between Romanian and Indian cuisine. I’m looking forward to helping with this year’s Indian feast.
After the large dinner event, we were tasked with providing refreshments for after the Sunday services. I researched a lot of Romanian resources on the web, learning a lot about the culinary history of the country. The place has been controlled at various times by the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the USSR, and all of these cultures have left their mark. There are not a lot of recipes labeled as Romanian on the net, but there is one site attempting to be a fairly complete Romanian Cookbook.
The site has hundreds of recipes in categories ranging from appetizers to beverages, veal roasts to vegetable sour soups. I made some variations on deviled eggs (the site refers to them as “stuffed eggs“) that went over well. The star dish that went faster than anything else was a simple eggplant dip.
You can make this dip fancy, add some roasted peppers, maybe some lemon juice or finely chopped herbs, but it really doesn’t need it. There are just a few essential ingredients, and they’ll make a great dip, but make it your own with a few extra additions.
Your Own Eggplant Dip
The Essentials
- 2 medium-large eggplants
- 1/2 to 1 onion, diced
- 2-8 T extra virgin olive oil
Optional Additions
- finely chopped herbs (chives, parsley, cilantro)
- lemon juice
- roasted peppers
- diced tomatoes
- garlic
- tahini (like baba ganoush)
- Roast the eggplants until soft. I do this by putting them under a broiler, turning occasionally, until the skin blackens and becomes brittle, about 10-15 minutes total.
- Let the eggplants cool, then harvest the innards of the berry (yep, it’s a fruit, who knew?). You won’t be peeling them so much as scraping the meat off the charred exterior.
- Mash the eggplant in a bowl. Clean hands make this part more fun.
- Stir in the onion, add salt and pepper, then add some of the olive oil.
- Stir in the olive oil until it emulsifies with everything else.
- Taste it and see if it needs more of anything. You’ll probably want to add more salt and more oil.
That’s it–some broiling, mashing, and stirring. It’s good, really good, but you can add any of the optional additions I suggest, or whatever you can imagine. You could caramelize the onions before adding them, though raw onions offer a delightful crunch that offsets the creamy eggplant. You could also put this into a food processor or use an immersion blender to make a completely smooth spread. Eat it with pita chips, spread it on bread, put it in a quiche or tart.
I can’t tell you how many people were astonished that this dip was so simple. When you serve it, go ahead, tell them it’s your own recipe. Let me know in the comments what you come up with to make it yours.
oh I gotta try this….