Moutabel Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for grilling over high heat, or turn 3 gas burners to high. Place the eggplants directly onto the coals or flame and grill, using tongs to turn them as the skin chars, until blackened all over. Set aside to cool.
• Alternatively, roast the eggplant in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Pierce the eggplants in a few places with a sharp knife, place them on the prepared baking sheet and roast, turning every 5 minutes or so, until the skin is blistered and begins to crack all over. Set aside to cool.
• Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, transferring it directly to a strainer to allow the liquid to release.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes with the chile peppers, if using, garlic, shallot, 1/2 cup parsley, 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, cumin, pepper and salt. Add the drained eggplant and mix together with a fork. Transfer the eggplant mixture to a serving bowl and drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Garnish with the remaining parsley and surround with the cucumber slices.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• In a medium bowl, coat the beets in the oil and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Tear four lengths of aluminum foil and tightly wrap each beet individually in the foil. Roast the beets in the oven for about 1 hour, until caramelized and tender (a knife or cake tester should go through them with little or no resistance). Remove the beets from the oven and cool in the foil.
• For this next step, I save old towels I don't mind staining. When cool enough to handle, remove the beets from the foil, wrap each beet in a towel, and rub the peels away.
• Coarsely chop the beets and place them in a food processor or blender. Add the garlic, chile, lemon juice, cumin, and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt and blend for about 5 minutes, until creamy and smooth. Slowly drizzle in the tahini and continue blending until the tahini is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Adjust the salt and lemon juice to taste. If you want a thicker spread, blend in more tahini, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• When ready to serve, scoop the mixture onto a serving plate, drizzle it with the oil, and garnish it with the herbs.