Spicy Aubergine (Eggplant) and Red Pepper Tapenade - Dip

French Tart's Note:

This is a "throw it in the oven & blend it all together" recipe which is always a great hit any time of the year. I have called it a Tapenade; a Tapenade contains olives, anchovies & capers normally, with a few regional variations, but this reminded me of the consistency of a Tapenade, so that's what it's called! (There are NO anchovies in this one!) I use this for dips, spreads, sauces, grilled sandwiches plus grilled meat & vegetables. It is very versatile & stores for up to 2 weeks in the fridge - with a coating of olive oil on top. This recipe makes enough to fill a 1lb jar; it is very easy to increase the quantities. Please note, there is no need to salt the aubergines OR take the skin off after they have cooked.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 1.0 1lb Jar

• 1 large aubergine, chopped into 2-inch dice
• 1 large red pepper, de-seeded with the white membrane cut out & chopped into 2-inch dice
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt & pepper
• 2 sprigs fresh coriander (Cilantro)
• 1 teaspoon harissa (optional)
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained (reserve 1 tablespoon of the sun-dried oil or olive oil)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C or 400°F.
2. Take a sturdy oven proof tin or dish and add the aubergines, red peppers, garlic cloves, tomatoes, cumin, coriander, chili powder and the olive oil.
3. Mix thoroughly, so everything has a light coating of oil.
4. Roast in the oven on the top shelf for 30 to 45 minutes, or until charred and tinged brown on the edges and soft to the touch.
5. Take out and leave to cool slightly.
6. Add the fresh coriander (cilantro), harissa paste if using and sun-dried tomatoes. Season well with salt & pepper.
7. Tip all the mixture into a large bowl and blend it all together with a hand mixer/blender.
8. Do NOT over mix - it should be smooth but not pureed!
9. Serve in an attractive bowl and dribble the remaining olive oil over the top, garnish with some fresh coriander (cilantro) or chopped flat leaf parsley. You can also add an olive or two.
10. Store in a container in the fridge with olive oil on the top for up to 2 weeks.

Reviews

[Wendyla in Cali]

Delicious and easy! The spices add just the right amount of excitement to this tapenade. I served this with a greek dinner, as a condiment. Tomorrow I am going to use it to make a panini sandwich with mozarella and arugula. I did stir in the juice of 1/2 a lemon to give it a little acid, substituted cayenne for chili powder and scattered on some red pepper flakes before baking too. I am going to cook up a big batch and can it to put in holiday gift baskets. Yum! Highly recommend.

[Dominick & Amanda]

This was actually pretty simple to make. Unfortunately, I couldn't find harissa so I just omitted it from the recipe. I didn't find this dish overly garlicky like another reviewer reported they did. Very tasty! I will make this again!

[Brit in Texas]

Update: HI FT, make this again over the weekend with cauliflower instead of the eggplant and boy it is good. I did rub some spices with oil on the cauliflower and popped in the oven with the tomatoes for 15 minutes to give it a head start Thanks again. This was a perfect appetizer which we had before your Easy Crock Pot Moroccan Chicken, Chickpea and Apricot Tagine and everyone loved it. 4-6 servings was a bit of a stretch with my greedy bunch! My hand blender wouldn't mix it though so I put it in the food processor and pulsed a few times and it was perfect. I added a few more cloves of garlic as my cloves were a bit on the small side. Next time I'm thinking Middle Eastern Pizza - toast one side of a flat bread, spread dip, put a little cheese on top, pop under the grill/broiler and cut in wedges. Thanks again for posting a dinner party worthy meal.