Roasted Eggplant Spread

Eggplants are not my all-time favorites.
Yes, they're pretty. They look good with their sheen and inky purple color, but under that thin skin they're less than glamorous. The spongy texture usually leaves something to be desired, and they can be very bitter if they're too old and not prepared properly.

Baba ghanoush isn't really a favorite, but I like eggplant in caponata and ratatouille (which I will save for another time).

Another very good use for eggplant is this dip.

It's great with carrots, but best with warm and toasty pita triangles (the shape is extremely important).

If you search a little at most groceries, you can find tomato paste in tubes- really great for something like this when you don't need a whole can.

This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe, from the original book (which is a GREAT book by the way if you don't already have a copy...). The recipe is available online, found here, so I'm hoping I'm not infringing. While searching for it so I could post the link I found that she had another recipe with the same name but with some changes in case you're interested.

Roasted Eggplant Spread

1 medium eggplant, peeled

2 red bell peppers, seeded

1 red onion, peeled

2 garlic cloves

3 T good olive oil

1 1/2 t kosher salt

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

1 T tomato paste

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cut the eggplant, bell peppers, and onion into roughly 1 inch cubes. Toss in a large bowl with garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet and roast 45 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft. Toss once during cooking. Cool slightly.

Place vegetables in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add tomato paste, and pulse 3-4 times to blend.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.