I got these baby eggplants and had many different ideas about how to prepare them. Do I go Italian with anchovies, fried peppers, pine nuts and a basil sauce? Do I go Mediterranean with tahini sauce, feta, sesame seeds, dates and parsley? I did an Asian eggplant recently that was very good with miso, peanuts and crisp enoki mushrooms. So today I went slightly Indian because this is different.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

1 lb baby eggplants – split in half and score

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil – to drizzle over eggplants

1 lemon – split in half face down on pan with eggplants and use the fresh juice after roasted to sprinkle on eggplants.

sea salt – fresh crushed to taste on eggplants

black pepper – fresh ground to taste on eggplant

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (to cook vegetables with)

8 oz ripe sweet tomatoes chopped

1 large sweet onion – minced

1 serrano pepper – sliced paper thin or mince

2 1/2 Tablespoons – ginger grated

1 1/2 Tablespoon roasted garlic grated (I had some frozen in my freezer…it’s more mellow and more sweet than regular garlic you can roast some or use fresh but I’m guessing that you might use slightly less fresh garlic)

1 teaspoon garm masala

1/2 teaspoon fennel seed

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon course sea salt

2 Tablespoons roasted cashews – slightly crushed

1/4 cup sprouts ( I used radish sprouts)

2 teaspoons fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Scored half baby eggplants go on baking sheet with scored sides up. The two lemon halves go on same baking sheet cut side down. Sprinkle the eggplants with oil. Timing will differ due to different sizes of eggplants. Mine were done in 45 minutes. You want the eggplants all the way cooked and with slightly charred ends. Sprinkle with roasted lemon juice and lightly season with salt and pepper.

While the eggplants are cooking you should make the seasoned onions and tomatoes.

Put a sauce pot on medium high heat with the tablespoon of olive oil. When hot add the onions and tomatoes and cook till onions are transparent. Next add all the remaining ingredients (serrano pepper, ginger, garlic, garm masala, fennel seed, turmeric, ground mustard and sea salt) Reduce to simmer and let it go about ten minutes.

Top baby eggplants with onion/tomato mixture, some sprouts, a few slightly crushed cashews and a cilantro leaf.

Tasty, Flavorful and Different!