Grilled Eggplant with Feta, Mint and Chili

Last week in the Seasonal Table class, we tested this recipe that I had heard about in an interview with Nigella on NPR. It was a winner and I demonstrated at farmers market. I think we sold out of most of the farmer’s eggplant! Good feta cheese is important. Since I’m not a skilled cheese maker (yet) I bought a lovely Hungarian one at the new Visalia Mediterranean market (behind Carl’s Jr in the shopping center off Mooney).
It’s getting too cold to play with knives and cook al fresco, so the recipes until spring arrives, will be those I make in class with students or at home.

Grilled Eggplant with Feta, Mint and Chili
From Nigella Lawson
Makes 20 rolls

Ingredients
2 large eggplant, each cut thinly, lengthwise, into about 10 slices
4 tablespoons olive oil
8–9 ounces feta cheese
1 large red chili, finely chopped, seeded or not, depending on how much heat you want
bunch fresh mint, finely chopped, with some saved for garnish
juice of 1 lemon
black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat a grill, stovetop griddle or broiler to a high heat.
2. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the oil,
cook them for about 2 minutes each side until golden and tender.
3. Crumble the feta into a bowl, stir in the chili, mint, lemon juice and ground fresh black pepper.
4. Pile the end third of each warm eggplant slice with a heaping teaspoon of the feta mixture and roll each slice up as you go to form a soft, stuffed bundle.
5. Place seam-side down on a plate, and sprinkle with a little more mint

What can I make with eggplant?

I hear this question frequently. Of course there’s always ratatouille, but what else? One of the local farmers, Kyle of KM K Farms, is begging me to demo eggplant, so I’m on the lookout for new eggplant recipes that I can make easily on my one burner butane fueled stove. And voila, the October issue of Food & Wine had a vegetarian dish featuring roasted eggplant from my favorite staff chef, Grace Parisi. It was yummy, and best made in an oven to sweeten the veggies, via the hot roasting process. It felt good to ‘eat green’ and meatless. I served it with a side of sliced yellow tomato and fresh cilantro, yogurt on top the dish and naan flat bread. I substituted the canned chickpeas, with soaked garbanzo beans cooked for 12 minutes in my pressure cooker, and switched out the spinach for farm fresh baby Russian kale, de-ribbed and cut into strips.
Unfortunately I can't make this dish on a one burner butane burn stove outdoors, so I’m still looking for a primo eggplant recipe for the demo on Oct 17 


Curried Eggplant with Chickpeas and Spinach
Ingredients
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, or homemade about 2 cups
1/4 cup finely julienned fresh ginger
Freshly ground pepper
One 5-ounce bag baby spinach, or use baby Russian kale, de-ribbed and sliced, 1 ½ “
Warm naan and plain yogurt, for serving
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°.
2. On a work surface, mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt.
3. In a large roasting pan, mix the paste with the curry powder and vegetable oil.
4. Add the eggplant, onion, chickpeas and ginger, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
5. Spread the vegetables in an even layer and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the eggplant and onion are tender.
6. Stir in the spinach (kale) and roast just until wilted, about 2+ minutes.
7. Serve with warm naan and yogurt.