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MrsJimmyP: Spicy Eggplant & Tomato Salad

I do not use near as much cilantro as the recipe calls for just a few leaves is all. If you like salsa from Mexican restaurants I imagine you will like this although it is not nearly as hot. In case you do not know Cumin is a spice used in like making Chili and alot of mexican dishes it is not hot, and is used quite a bit in Moroccan cooking.

I found this to be more on the order of a salsa rather than the salads we are accustomed to, but extremely delicious and full of flavor, I love eggplant so it was perfect for an eggplant lover! If you do not like hot & spicy use less Harissa Paste and it will give the flavor with-out so much heat.

2 Lg. Eggplants
4 Lg. Tomatoes (skinned and chopped to a pulp)
6 1/2 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 - 3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. Moroccan Harissa Paste -***I will list the recipe for this***
a small bunch of flat leaf parsley (finely chopped)
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. freshly roasted cumin seeds, roasted and ground (I use my ground cumin I already have on hand)
bread, to serve

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the eggplant on a baking sheet and bake for 30 about min's. or until soft when you press them with a finger. Put the tomatoes in an oven proof dish, pour over 1/2 the olive oil and pop them in the oven with the eggplants. Remove the eggplants and tomatoes and let cool until cool enough to handle. Using a sharp cut the eggplants in half and scoop out the pulp and chop it to a pulp.

Heat the rest of the olive oil in a heavy-based skillet, add the garlic and saute until it begins to color, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes and Harissa and cook over a med. heat for 5 - 8 minutes, until thick and pulpy. Add the eggplants, parsley, and cilantro. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Tip into a serving bowl and serve warm or at room temperature with a dusting of roasted cumin and chunks of bread.

****Harissa Paste****

8 Dried red chiles (Horn or New Mexico deseeded)
2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground corriander
1/4 cup olive oil

Makes roughly 4 tbsp. ****(a little goes a long way)****

Place chiles in a bowl and cover with warm water, let soak for 1 hour. Drain & squeeze out excess water. Using a mortar and pestle, pound them to a paste with the garlic and salt (or whizz them in an electric mixer). Beat in the cumin and corriander and bind with the olive oil.

Store the Harrisa Paste in a sealed jar in the refergerator with a thin layer of olive oil poured on top. Keeps well for approx. 1 month.

Recipe From: Flavors of Morocco cookbook
 
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Thanks Cathy
This sounds yummy. I have used cumin a few times.I don't eat a lot of hot spices since I have acid reflux....have to be careful with that.
Oh....by the way....call me Francie...thats my name .
 
Sure thing Francie, and that is a beautiful name and you do not hear it often, lucky you!

I made this recipe this morning before going to work, and I only used 1 tsp of the Harissa and it was not hot at all, very tasty both cold and hot. I don't think you would need the harissa at all if you'd rather try it that way. But you know what you can tolerate, not I.
 
I'm going to try this one today Cathy....I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
Good deal, I hope you will love it Francie!!! If not, well at least you tried! I had some last night with some Cuban Empanadas I made, used it as a salsa on the side of each bite of Empanada I took and YUMMY that was that a tasty combo!
 
Well...did not get to make it today...could not find some of the ingredients in the local supermarket. Hopefully soon though.
 
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