Our friend Drew had a “High End” party this past weekend. The concept: everyone brings a “high end” appetizer. No cocktail sausages in barbecue sauce, no Velveeta-based queso dip. We were to try to be homemade if we could. The turnout was great and the food was fabulous too. Everything from mushroom and brie tartlets, to two different kinds of foie gras (which Drew made; the one paired with pear was my favorite). Terry and I chose to bring an Olive-Eggplant spread, the recipe for which I found in the Gourmet cookbook and can also be found on Epicurious.
- 1 (1-pound) eggplant, halved lengthwise and flesh scored in a crosshatch pattern
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, rinsed, patted dry, and pitted
- 1 tablespoon drained bottled capers, rinsed
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Rub eggplant with 2 tablespoons oil and bake, cut sides down, in a small baking pan in middle of oven until flesh is browned and very tender, about 50 minutes.
Scoop flesh from eggplant into a food processor, discarding skin, and purée with olives, capers, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
It would have been impossible for this dish to be any simpler or tastier. It could have been prettier, but pureed black olives and roasted eggplant isn’t going to be gorgeous. I was at Falcon working front-of-house, but I pre-measured the olives and pre-roasted the eggplant, so Terry assembled it for me (isn’t he sweet?). Together, we salted and peppered it and thought something was missing. Garlic! Of course! If I’d have read the reviews and not gotten it out of the cookbook, I would have known that, but two cloves of garlic tossed into the puree made all the difference. It was rich, briney and pretty popular at the party. Doubling the recipe was easy, though not necessary with all of the food available.
