recipes at random

This recipe was easy and delicious. I think I used full-fat yogurt, but it probably matters little, and though I didn't measure it I'm sure I used less than half a cup of olive oil. I served it with some Israeli salad (simply chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, with a little olive oil and black pepper), a few falafel from a mix (by Nirav - very tasty), mixed olives, and whole-wheat pita sections toasted with za'atar: the perfect Israeli supper. (I did find a photo of eggplant with tahini on the web, but it looked rather gloppy... yours will be prettier, I promise, especially with the pine nuts.)

2 medium eggplants
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Pinch of ground cardamom
3 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini paste
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1. Set the oven at 400 degrees F.

2. Remove the stems from the eggplants. Quarter each one lengthwise. Cut the pieces into thirds to make shorter lengths.

3. In a roasting dish, toss the eggplant with all but 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt, pepper, and cardamom. Roast for 45 minutes or until the eggplant is soft and toasted.

4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the yogurt, tahini, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, and all but 1/4 teaspoon of the thyme leaves.

5. Transfer the warm eggplant to the dressing and toss gently until lightly coated. Spoon onto a serving plate and scatter with the toasted pine nuts and the reserved 1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves. Adapted from "The Kitchen Diaries, A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater" (via the Boston Globe).