I am often lured into buying eggplant. But just as often it goes bad in the back of my fridge because I’m the only one who really enjoys it. Naturally, I’ve always been a huge fan of eggplant parmigiana but due to several food sensitivities I can’t indulge in it anymore. Yes, you can take a moment to let that somber thought soak in and be sad for me. In replacement of that I have created a few eggplant recipes to curtail my eggplant hankering. And since they are gluten and cow dairy free, I tend to return to their basic concepts: fresh, zesty ingredients and layering flavors. So, it should be no surprise that here I am riffing off of those previous recipe ideas. This version is basically a very similar recipe to my Gremolata on Grilled Eggplants with regard to ingredients but different application.
As a reminder, my recipes are typically hatched out of a few situations:
1). The items I have available
2). The need to use up foods that will go bad soon
3). An occasion that requires a food void to be filled
4). All of the above
I have made this once before but didn’t have the opportunity to photograph it. I thought now might be an ideal time to share it right before Easter in case you needed a fresh new appetizer to add to your table. This idea first came to me back when the Christmas holidays were barreling down upon us. I was hosting our annual neighbor’s holiday cocktail party. (Side note, since I always seem to be a bit behind with posting, I hope to write up all those offerings in a separate post. Timing doesn’t much matter since they are appropriate for any cocktail party.) But back then eggplant was on my mind as one of the appetizers. I wanted it to be cocktail style; pick ‘em up and eat ‘em, no fork necessary. As anticipated by my husband, I made plenty of other offerings thus leaving the eggplant on the menu chopping block. So, now there I was stuck with an eggplant again that needed to be used (see #2) With some luck, I needed to bring an appetizer to my sister’s house for Christmas day (see #3), so I searched my fridge (see #1) and voila the Eggplant Taco - Mediterranean Flair was born (#4).
I had seen a video wrapping eggplant with cheese and thought I could use a similar filling to my Goat Cheese Stuffed Piquillo Peppers then top them with a gremolata similar to Gremolata on Grilled Eggplants recipe. Folding the eggplant like a mini taco would make these easy to pick up and eat in one or two bites. Why reinvent the wheel when it already rolled into your kitchen.
I did make a few ingredient modifications (see #1 - use what you have available), and also wanted to bring a slightly different twist.
Since i didn’t photograph the process during the holidays I needed to create a reason to make these again to document the basic steps. I decided to include this appetizer for our upstate friends’ dinner party.
Mind you, three of them are trained chefs from the C.I.A.
No, not the government agency but Culinary Institute of America! Ugh, no pressure.
Our upstate friends, who love sharing good times, food, and wine.
Since I prepped some items at home and then finished it off in our upstate house, you will notice that these aren’t my usual photographic style. I did the best I could, but it gives you some insight into why it takes me awhile to post. When I’m hosting a party, there is always plenty to do already. Stopping to stage and photograph each step sometimes just isn’t in the timeline. I hope these will suffice.
Ingredients:
Makes approx.26 mini tacos
14 oz. Eggplant (I used the smaller Italian baby eggplant, ideal for bite size appetizer.)
oil
Stuffing
6 oz. Goat cheese, room temperature, softened
1.5 oz Feta cheese
3 T Shallots, minced
Gremolata
1 cup Parsley leaves, minced approx. 1/3 c
1 cup Mint leaves, minced approx. 1/3 c
2 Garlic cloves, grated
1/4 x Pecans, lightly roasted, chopped
pinch Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 Lemon Juice/Zest
Olive Oil, a drizzle
Pomegranate seeds, optional
Make Ahead Notes: You can prep parts of this dish 1-2 days ahead. Grill the eggplant and store them on paper towels in an airtight container in the fridge. Mix the goat/feta cheese and shallots together and place in piping bag or ziplock. Remember to bring it to room temperature for easy piping. Also, I highly recommend removing the pomegranate seeds ahead of time, since it can be a tad time consuming. Store those in an air tight container in the fridge. However, in order to keep the gremolata as fresh as possible, make that right before assembling.
Instructions:
1. In a mixing bowl combine soften goat cheese with feta and minced shallots, place in a piping bag or ziplock bag, and set aside.
Make sure the goat & feta cheese are room temperature so they are easy to work with.
2. Cut the eggplant into 1/4” slices, and place on an oiled sheet pan. Season with salt & pepper and drizzle with more olive oil. Roast at 375 degrees until golden, flip and roast until golden. Or you can fry them in a cast iron, as I did this time.
I like the size of the smaller Italian eggplant as a bite size appetizer. However, if you want these to be more substantial or a side dish use the large eggplants. You will need to increase the amount of cheese filling to accommodate the larger slices.
This time around I decided to fry them in a cast iron pan because the oven was occupied. Either method works. Oven roasting allows you to tackle another task without having to be constantly monitoring them.
3. In another bowl add minced parsley, mint, crushed or grated garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped pecans. You can also add grated Parmesan cheese. Mix with just a touch of olive oil.
These ingredients are so bright and fresh. The garlic brings the zing, the lemon keeps it bright. The mint adds that herbal punch, while the red pepper flakes provide a touch of heat. The pecans throw in a lovely crunch.
You can use a garlic press, but why dirty something else when you can use the lemon zester to grate the garlic too.
4. Once the eggplant is cooled, pipe or spoon the cheese mixture in the middle and fold like a taco. Then you can roll or spoon the gremolata mixture along the edge. Place on a plate and finish with pomegranate seeds.
I used a ziplock bag for piping the filling into the eggplant. Piping is so much easier, cleaner and more precise. I highly recommend stuffing them this way.
I love the tart pop of flavor and burst that the pomegranate seeds provide. Let’s not discount how very festive and striking it looks. Never underestimate the small addition that draws the eye to the stomach that motivates the hand to mouth reaction.
A tiny bite that packs many bursts of flavor.
These were winners both times I offered them up. I hope you are lured by eggplant. Lured by the taco idea and compelled to fulfill numbers 1-4 with an attention-getting Eggplant Taco.
Happy Easter!
