Week 33 - What to do with an Eggplant

We bought an eggplant to do our grilled veggie sandwiches for a second time but never got around to making them and were quickly running out of evenings at home so I pondered the question, "what the heck do you do with an eggplant?"

And the answer came to me in a vision. Of course, the vision was on a computer screen displaying foodnetwork.com, but it was a vision nonetheless. This was easy and awesome hummus that was a big hit at Cozyfest '09. Even Jessi liked it an everybody knows she's nearly impossible to please. ;-)

WHITE BEAN AND ROASTED EGGPLANT HUMMUS

Source: www.foodnetwork.com

1 - 1 1/2 lb. eggplant, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces - Olive oil, for drizzling, plus 1/3 C. - Salt, for seasoning, plus 1/2 tsp. - Black pepper, for seasoning, plus 1/4 tsp. - 1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed - 1/2 C. loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley - 3 T. fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon) - 1 clove garlic - 1 hothouse cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

Place the eggplant on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cooled eggplant, beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add 1/3 C. of olive oil until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with the cucumber slices.