Charred Eggplant with Chermoula

Hands-on Time

14 Mins

 

Total Time

29 Mins

 

Yield

Serves 6 (serving size: about 5 eggplant slices and 2 tablespoons cilantro mixture)

 

While not Israeli in origin (chermoula is actually a Moroccan condiment), this dish speaks to the many culinary influences of Israel's North African and Middle Eastern neighbors. The sauce is wonderfully complex--bright, herbaceous, and spicy. Israel has a vegetable-centric cuisine (they are eaten at every meal); cooking vegetables over an open flame until deeply charred is a favorite cooking method.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 2 medium eggplants, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 2 pounds)

Nutritional Information

• Calories 127
• Fat 9.7g
• Satfat 1.3g
• Monofat 6.8g
• Polyfat 1.1g
• Protein 2g
• Carbohydrate 11g
• Fiber 6g
• Cholesterol 0.0mg
• Iron 2mg
• Sodium 171mg
• Calcium 39mg
• Sugars 4g

How to Make It

Step 1

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add cumin and coriander seeds; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Crush seeds with a mortar and pestle or a small heavy skillet. Add rind, salt, paprika, red pepper, and garlic; mash to form a paste. Place spice mixture, cilantro, parsley, and juice in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until finely chopped, scraping sides of bowl as needed. With processor on, slowly pour olive oil through food chute, processing just until blended.

 

Step 2

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Arrange one-fourth of eggplant slices in pan; cook 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until browned and tender (slightly charred is even better). Place cooked eggplant on a platter. Repeat procedure 3 times with cooking spray and remaining eggplant. Drizzle cilantro mixture over eggplant.