Melinzanosalata : Baba Ganoush Stuffed Mini Peppers
Rather than serving in a bowl where everyone dips in, use the peppers as a vessel. Once chilled slightly, the baba congeals a little, making it drip-proof.
Even during sheltering in place and stressful times, we need to feed each other. The recipes on this week’s Paleo Cooking Live are shareable, and I wanted to present safe ways to share some love through food. I hope you can find ways to bring peace and comfort to your homes and the ones you love.
Originally I created this recipe during the pandemic (thus the opening comments above). Since then, as part of my series, The Koutala Volume 2, Mezethes, I’ve updated it a bit. If you watch the video on YouTube, you will see that I changed to roasted garlic, rather than raw. It gives the recipe a more complex, deeper flavor. Simply cut the head of garlic at the top to reveal the cloves, place in an oven or grill-safe pan and add olive oil. You may also add some herb sprigs if you wish. Be sure to save the oil in a bottle, it’s delicious for salad dressings or finishing grilled meats or fish. Or drizzle a little over the finished filled peppers.
The roasted garlic method can be found here as well.
Melinzano Salata Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized eggplant, grilled, and peeled
- 2 Tablespoons Tahini
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced (or 2 to 3 roasted garlic cloves)
- 1/4 cup Almond Milk or Plant-Based Yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- About 12 mini peppers, cut in half and seeds removed
Method
- Char the eggplant on the grill until soft and collapsing, about 20 minutes, or roast in the oven at 400º, about 40 minutes.
- Cut eggplant in half, remove seed pods, scoop flesh out of skins, and place into the bowl of a food processor.
- Add the remaining ingredients and process together until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
- Fill a pastry bag with the dip, then fill each cavity of mini peppers. Dip may also be spooned into each pepper. Chill and serve.
