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Recipes and text by Michelle Rabin. Produced by Aimee Nishitoba. Photography by Christie Vuong. Food Styling by Ashley Denton. Prop Styling by Christine Hanlon.
A few tricks can make a veggies-and- dip platter really sing. First, find the freshest, most seasonal veg; consider fennel wedges, endive, rainbow radishes and heirloom cucumbers. Next, sprinkle the veggies with flaky salt and give them a shower of spices and fresh or dried herbs, such as baby basil, za’atar or sumac. Serve with a homemade dip. These eggplant and red-pepper-muhammara dips are one-way tickets to Flavour Town.—Michelle Rabin
1 large eggplant, about 500 g
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 tsp salt
Finely chopped fresh mint or parsley, for garnish
1 340-mL jar piquillo peppers, drained
3 Medjool dates, pitted
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Finely chopped fresh mint, for garnish
Pomegranate seeds, for garnish
Smoky Eggplant Dip: Position rack in centre of oven, then preheat broiler. Place whole eggplant on a baking sheet. Broil, rotating eggplant every 2 to 3 min, until charred on all sides, about 10 min total. Immediately place eggplant in a bowl and cover with an inverted plate. Let stand until cool enough to handle, about 10 min.
Peel and discard charred skin and stem. Wipe bowl clean, then return eggplant flesh to bowl. Mash with a fork, then mash in garlic, tahini, lemon zest and juice, oil and salt.
Just before serving, garnish with fresh mint and a drizzle of olive oil.
Spicy Muhammara Dip: Combine peppers with dates, garlic, walnuts, bread crumbs, oil, cumin, cayenne and salt in a food processor. Pulse until smooth, about 1 min.
Scrape mixture into a serving dish. Just before serving, garnish with mint, pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of oil, if desired.
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