An Unboring Dinner Option

Hey, but I am so excited!  I actually cooked dinner tonight!  As in, cookbook-propped-open-on-the-counter-cooked!  From a new cookbook I just bought!  (Which begs the question, why on EARTH am I still buying cookbooks?  Because if I'm too busy to actually cook, I may as well read about cooking, no?)  Besides, having been reduced to a rather Spartan diet of late (partly the result of the gluttony chronicled on this blog), a hot, delicious, thoughtful meal was positively heavenly.  And gosh, I don't know what it is, but something happens when I start actually cooking (as opposed to, say, just heating or roasting or something equally hurried and mindless).  It's like stress oozes out through my chopping hand, and mellowness and general pleased-with-the-world-ness gets stirred right back in.  Fortunately, I was so tickled with the results that I shot a quick picture before I demolished.  Behold!  

Here's the recipe.  Note, this is enough for two people, but it's easily multiplied.  Although your kiddos might not be so hot on it...

"Turkish" Eggplant with Yogurt and Mint

(Adapted from Food & Wine's Best of the Best, Volume 13)

1 - eggplant

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Half of an onion, cut into thin slices

3-4 cloves of garlic, cut into thin slices

1-2 - red chiles, cut into thin slices (depends on how much heat you like.  I like it hot, and I used two, though I coughed the whole time.  You could wimp out and skip these, if you wish.)

Half a lemon 

1/4 - 1/3 cup - feta cheese - crumbled

Generous 1/4 cup - plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup - fresh mint leaves, torn

Cut the eggplant in half the long way and score the flesh in a diamond pattern, cutting decently deep but careful not to cut through to the skin.  Place them on a baking sheet covered with tinfoil and drizzle them with a generous amount of olive oil (maybe 2-4 tablespoons), turning to coat all sides.  Salt and pepper generously.  Turn flesh-side-up, and roast in a 400-degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until very tender.

Meanwhile, saute onion over medium heat in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil until soft and golden.  Add garlic and chiles and continue to cook for a couple more minutes, or until the garlic and chiles are soft.  Remove from heat and salt and pepper to taste.

Place each eggplant half on a plate and use a fork to mash the flesh in slightly, creating a bit of a cavity.  Squeeze lemon juice to taste over each half, and fill each cavity with the onion mixture.  Sprinkle with feta, dollop with yogurt, and scatter some fresh mint over the top.  Finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil and extra salt and pepper as needed.  

That's all there is to it!  (I know.  Hardly a hard-core demonstration of mad kitchen prowess, but still.  So totally awesome.)  Keep in mind, I winged the measurements somewhat, especially on the garnishes, so feel free to adjust to suit your own tastes.

I'm a bit of a minimalist when it comes to dinner so this was pretty satisfying to me, but if you want a more well-rounded lunch or dinner, a nice green salad and maybe some rice pilaf or good bread would make for a pretty bang-up meal.

Plus, I love the virtuous feeling one gets when one consumes out-of-the-ordinary produce.  You can almost feel your body thanking you.  Hashtag pure win.