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What's for Dinner: Roasted Eggplant Salad with Asian Ginger Sauce
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Roasted Eggplant Salad with Asian Ginger Sauce
PG tested
My first attempt at growing eggplant this summer netted only three precious fruits. So I didn't want just any old recipe when it came time to cook it. I found a stunner in food writer Melissa Clark's Asian-style side dish. Eggplant too often is buried (or lost?) beneath layers of breading, red sauce and cheese or mashed into baba ganoush. In this recipe, Ms. Clark simply roasts it then dresses the silky wedges in an oniony ginger sauce. Fabulous!
I didn't have any cherry tomatoes, so I substituted chunks of Big Boy tomato. And, yes, I went a little crazy with the chile oil.
- 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced into wedges
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup peanut oil
- 2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger root
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil
- Few drops rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar, to taste
- Few drops chile oil, optional
- 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- Basil or cilantro leaves, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss eggplant wedges with olive oil and salt to coat. Spread eggplant on a baking sheet and roast, stirring once, until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together peanut oil, scallions, ginger root, garlic, sesame oil, vinegar and chile oil if using.
Toss the roasted eggplant and cherry tomatoes with the peanut oil dressing. Finish with torn basil leaves or cilantro leaves.
Serves 2 ardent eggplant lovers or 4 regular people.
-- Melissa Clark (www.melissaclark.net)
First Published August 15, 2012 12:00 am
