Recipe: Curry Grilled Eggplant Pita with Carrot Raisin Salad & Spiced Feta Spread
Makes: 6 to 8
Coffee: Pure Black
There’s no doubt that each component can stand on its own. But together they make a multi-layered sandwich that’s simultaneously smoky, tart, and a little sweet.
Feta Spread
1/2 pound feta, crumbled
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Finely grated zest of half a lemon
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Mash together with a fork or process in a food processor until smooth. (The mashed-by-hand version will always be a little lumpy.)
Carrot Salad
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup golden raisins
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 medium red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Combine all ingredients, and let stand, covered, for an hour at room temperature while mixing occasionally. (The raisins will plump as the carrots exude juices.) Mix the fresh cilantro into the carrot salad just before serving.
Tabouli
1 medium red onion, peeled and chopped
2 fat garlic cloves, pulverized
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups cooked bulgur
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup rough chopped parsley
1/4 cup rough chopped mint
Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl and the second 5 in a larger one, and keep separate until ready to serve. (The dressing is best when made in advance so the fresh lemon juice has a chance to tone down the raw garlic.) Combine and toss to saturate the bulgur with the dressing
Eggplant
2 eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds, brushed with olive oil and seasoned with curry powder and kosher salt
6 or 8 pitas, depending upon size
Grill the eggplant and the pita. Slather the pita with the feta spread, and layer in the eggplant and carrot salad. Depending upon the size of the pita you are using, add a few spoonfuls of tabouli. If there’s no room, serve it on the side.
