Patlıcan Silkme (Eggplant Shake)
This is not an eggplant milkshake, but rather a horribly bastardized version of an Anatolian dish.
Serves 6.
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggplants
- 1 large onion, or two small ones
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 red cubanalle or bell peppers
- 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
- olive oil (both plain and extra-virgin)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp sugar
- 5-6 sprigs of fresh mint
- 8 oz feta cheese
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt
Preparation:
Cut the eggplants into rough cubes whose shortest side measures a centimeter. Embrine them for 20 minutes, then remove and let dry.
While the eggplants soak, chop the onion and peppers. Crush and skin the garlicks and prepare them for pressing.
Saute in 2-3 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp sugar:
| ingredient | when to add next |
|---|---|
| onions | when translucent |
| garlic | in 30 seconds |
| peppers | in 3 minutes |
| cinnamon | in 15 seconds |
| tomatoes | immediately |
| eggplant | immediately |
| lemon juice | n/a |
Add 1-2 cups of water, until the water is visible in the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until eggplant is on the verge of disintegrating.
Remove from heat and let cool before serving. Serve topped with crumbled feta, fresh mint, and extra-virgin olive oil.
Notes:
5/19/2014: Made this for the first time, with cumin and coriander added to the spices above. They didn't seem to fit, so I didn't document them in the recipe (all the spices were improvised anyway). We ate this in pita pockets, with cucumber/lettuce/tomato salad. The mint and EVOO added at the table are absolutely essential. The salad was a good base for the eggplant and the cucumbers went well with everything else.