I love the August issue of Bon Appetit. There are so many great summer recipes in this edition, and it's really inspired me! There was an article on Ottolenghi, along with some of his recipes. If you don't know who Ottolenghi is, he's an Israeli-born chef and owns some really great restaurants in London. Most of his ingredients center around vegetables, and his recipes are basically magic. I don't normally follow recipes down to every detail, with but his, I do. He knows how to bring out the best in any vegetable- especially eggplant. That being said, I haven't altered this recipe in any way. It's great as-is, and I encourage you to try it!
Ingredients:
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves with tender stems
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 small green chiles, such as Thai, seeds removed, chopped, divided
½ cup olive oil, divided
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
¾ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 medium eggplants (about 1½ pounds), cut into 1½” pieces
Vegetable oil (for frying; about 2 cups) (I ended up using about 4 cups because I used a large oval Dutch oven)
1 pound small tomatoes (about 8), cut into wedges
½ pound Persian cucumbers (about 3), sliced thinly
Purée cilantro, parsley, garlic, half of chiles, and ¼ cup olive oil in a blender or food processor until very smooth; season herb oil with salt and set aside.
Whisk yogurt, lemon juice, and remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a small bowl; season with salt and set yogurt sauce aside.
Place eggplants in a colander set in the sink; season with ¾ tsp. salt. Let sit 30 minutes to drain, then pat dry.
Fit a medium pot (I used a Dutch oven) with thermometer; pour in vegetable oil to measure 2”. Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 375°.
Working in batches and returning oil to 375° between batches, fry eggplants, turning often, until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggplants to paper towels to drain; season with salt. Let cool.
The eggplant pieces in this picture are about halfway there. You want them to be a nice deep golden brown.
Combine eggplants in a large bowl with tomatoes, cucumbers, and remaining chiles; drizzle with some reserved herb oil and toss to combine. Season salad with salt.
Spoon reserved yogurt sauce onto a platter, top with salad, and drizzle with more herb oil.
To make this a complete meal, I grilled some beef tips marinated in worcestershire sauce and bourbon, some fried shishito peppers, and a watermelon and feta salad.
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