Eggplant in Tomato Sauce with Grilled Pepper Strips and Yogurt-Garlic Sauce Recipe

In Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, cool yogurt garlic sauce is a popular partner for savory vegetable stews like this Eggplant in Tomato Sauce with Grilled Pepper Strips and Yogurt-Garlic Sauce Recipe, which is flavored with sauteed onion and fresh basil.

Around the Mediterranean, from Spain to Turkey and from Lebanon to Morocco, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are used together as the basis of countless dishes. Whether they are made into appetizers, side dishes or entrees, they are universally loved. They embody the lively color and flavors of the Mediterranean and often are cooked together with the region's favorite flavors -- olive oil and garlic. Most can be made in advance and can be served hot or at room temperature.

One of the simplest and best is Spanish escalivada, a Catalan specialty. The vegetables are simply roasted in pieces, mixed gently and served sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil, minced fresh garlic, salt and freshly ground pepper.

Similar salads are made in the Balkans, sometimes with chilies added. The vegetables might be finely diced or even pureed to form a spread, which gains a vivid red hue if the peppers chosen are red ones.

Moroccan cooks use the same vegetables to achieve a different effect. They dice eggplant small and cook it in oil with diced zucchini, crushed garlic, paprika and salt, and then simmer the mixture with diced tomatoes. Separately grilled peppers, both sweet and hot, are later added to simmer briefly with the other vegetables. Served hot or cold, this lively starter is sometimes flavored with cumin or vinegar.

Not surprisingly, Italian cooks turn the Mediterranean trio into pasta sauces. Eggplant and peppers might be grilled, and then part of the grilled eggplant is chopped and cooked in a tomato sauce. This savory sauce is tossed with penne or spaghetti and extra virgin olive oil and garnished with the grilled vegetables and fresh basil.

You could consider all these dishes cousins of Provencal ratatouille, the celebrated southern French dish that features eggplant slices, zucchini, onion and peppers fried in olive oil, and then simmered in a garlicky, herb-scented tomato sauce.

The Mediterranean trio is not reserved exclusively for vegetarian recipes. In Eastern Mediterranean countries, poultry or meat might join the vegetables. Cooks in Balkan countries simmer chicken pieces with browned eggplant, peppers and tomatoes. Lebanese cooks bake the same vegetables as a casserole with lamb cubes. A Turkish specialty called eggplant kebab is sometimes made as a stew featuring lamb cubes browned with chopped onions, simmered with diced tomatoes and served atop fried eggplant slices. The peppers come as garnish, either sweet ones in strips or hot ones grilled and served whole.

For cooks, the vegetables of the Mediterranean trio are the joy of late summer. Enjoy them while they are at the height of their season.

Eggplant in Tomato Sauce with Grilled Pepper Strips and Yogurt-Garlic Sauce

    Prep Time: 30 minutes

    Cook time: 35 minutes

    Yield: Serves 4

Eggplant in Tomato Sauce Recipe with Grilled Pepper Strips & Yogurt-Garlic Sauce Ingredients

    1 3/4 pounds Japanese or small Italian eggplants, unpeeled

    2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

    1 medium onion, chopped

    Salt and freshly ground pepper

    1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or a 14 1/2-ounce can stewed tomatoes, preferably Italian style (with basil, garlic, oregano), with their juice

    2 bell peppers, any color, roasted or grilled and peeled (see note below)

    2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil

    About 1 cup plain yogurt

    1 garlic clove, minced fine

Eggplant in Tomato Sauce Recipe with Grilled Pepper Strips & Yogurt-Garlic Sauce Instructions

    Cut eggplant in crosswise slices about 3/8 inch thick. In a large heavy saute pan or wide casserole, heat oil, add onion and saute over medium heat for 7 minutes or until softened.

    Add eggplant, sprinkle with salt, and stir over heat until eggplant is coated with onion mixture. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice.

    Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Cut roasted peeled peppers in strips and add to eggplant. Cover and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in basil, reserving 1 or 2 teaspoons for garnish. Season to taste with pepper.

    In a small bowl mix yogurt with garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

    Serve eggplant hot or cold, topped with yogurt sauce and garnished with remaining shredded basil.

    Note: To peel peppers, broil them, turning them often, for about 15 minutes or until their skins blister all over. Transfer peppers to a bowl and cover tightly; or put sweet and hot peppers in separate plastic bags and close bags. Let stand for 10 minutes. Peel peppers using paring knife and remove seeds.

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Eggplant in Tomato Sauce Recipe with Grilled Pepper Strips and Yogurt-Garlic Sauce

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