Herbed Eggplant Dip Recipes

Steps:

• Grill 2 eggplants over medium-high heat, turning, until soft, 30 minutes. Cool, then scoop out and puree the flesh in a food processor with 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic, 5 tablespoons olive oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, and salt. Top with olive oil and parsley and serve with flatbread and vegetables.
• Per serving (does not include flatbread and vegetables for serving): Calories 247; Total Fat 21 grams; Saturated Fat 3 grams; Protein 3 grams; Total Carbohydrate 16 grams; Sugar: 7 grams; Fiber 9 grams; Cholesterol 0 milligrams; Sodium 152 milligrams

Steps:

• Heat a grill to medium. Brush the bell pepper with some of the canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with more of the canola oil, season with salt and pepper.
• Grill the eggplant until charred on the first side, about 3 minutes. Turn and continue grilling until tender, another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a cutting board. Grill the bell pepper, turning occasionally, until charred all over and tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let steam while you make the eggplant puree.
• Smash the garlic cloves, sprinkle them with salt, and mash and smear them to a paste using the side of a knife. Remove the skin from the eggplant and transfer the flesh to a food processor. Add the garlic paste, tahini, yogurt, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the lemon zest, oregano and smoked paprika. Process until smooth and thick. Add salt to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Peel, seed and dice the bell pepper.
• Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over the dip. Top with the diced peppers and the chopped parsley. Serve with warm pita or lavash.

Steps:

• In a large heavy skillet cook onion in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add eggplant and salt and cook, stirring, until eggplant begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Cover skillet and cook eggplant, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until tender. Remove skillet from heat and cool eggplant. Stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. Serve eggplant dip with toasts or crudités.

Steps:

• For the roasted garlic: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a ramekin, add the olive oil and garlic. Roast until the oil begins to bubble and the garlic becomes a very light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the garlic to a large bowl and put half of the oil in a large pan. Reserve the rest of the oil in the ramekin for garnishing.
• For the dip: In the large pan with the garlic-infused oil, add the eggplant, onion and paprika; you may have to do this in batches. Turn to medium-high heat and cook, tossing, until all sides of the eggplant are lightly golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer everything in the pan, bits and all, to the large bowl with the awaiting garlic.
• Using a mezzaluna, chop the contents of the bowl until broken down but still a bit chunky. Sure you can do this in a food processor, but it may lose the texture if over-pulsed. You can also chop all of this on a cutting board, then scrape everything back into the large bowl. Add the parsley, yogurt and lemon zest and juice to the bowl. Stir to combine, taste and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cool.
• If traveling with this to a swanky party, wait to garnish until just before serving at your host's place. Transfer the dip into a serving bowl, make a nice swirl with the back of a spoon and pour over the remaining garlic-infused olive oil. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve with assorted pita chips, grissini and flatbread crisps.

Steps:

• Place the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, scallions, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and blend. Serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Pierce eggplants all over with fork. Place on baking sheet. Broil until skin is crisp and flesh is soft, turning frequently, about 25 minutes. Place eggplants on rack set over rimmed baking sheet. Cool completely (liquid will drain from eggplants as they cool).
• Using small knife, peel skin from eggplants. Coarsely chop eggplants; place in large bowl. Add tomatoes, onion and garlic. Using electric mixer, beat 1 minute. Add yogurt; beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low. Add vinegar and lemon juice; beat to blend. Gradually beat in oil. Mix in parsley and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead.) Serve with pita bread.

Steps:

• Heat the grill. Meanwhile, in a blender combine 3/4 cup olive oil, the oregano, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until you have a rough purée, 2 to 5 minutes depending on how strong your blender is. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed. Purée should be well seasoned.
• Split pita breads in half along their seams to make 6 flat rounds. Brush both sides of each pita round with herb purée.
• When grill is hot, cook the eggplant, whole, until skins are shriveled and flesh has collapsed, about 8 to 12 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
• Grill pitas until crisp, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Let rest for a minute or two until cool enough to handle but still very warm, then slice each round into 6 wedges.
• Peel eggplant and put flesh in a food processor with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Purée, then taste and add more lemon or salt (or both) if needed. Serve the dip spread on a plate, drizzled with more olive oil and garnished with mint, dates and pomegranate seeds if desired.

Steps:

• Halve eggplant and scrape flesh from skin. Add flesh to remaining ingredients, except sesame seeds, in a food processor. Pulse until well combined. Stir in sesame seeds if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cut eggplant crosswise into 1-in. slices; place on a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Top with onion and garlic cloves. Drizzle with oil., Roast until eggplant is very soft, 40-45 minutes, turning and stirring vegetables once. Cool slightly., Place eggplant mixture in a food processor; process until blended. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in sour cream, lemon juice, salt, pepper and, if desired, liquid smoke., Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with flatbread and vegetables as desired.