Garden Salad with Creamy Roasted Eggplant Dressing

The first time I planted Black Beauty eggplant, I thought she was the prettiest plant in the garden. Then I grew her cousin, the Fairy Tale eggplant, I thought she was the prettiest – with petite purple-and-white stripes, tender creamy flesh, and hardly any bitterness.

When something this beautiful comes out of the garden, I usually don’t want to do much to it. Olive oil, salt and pepper are often enough. Grilled eggplant alongside sautéed sea bass, peeled heirloom tomatoes and fresh limas, finished with a champagne vinaigrette, is one of my favorite ways to serve it. But sometimes it’s fun to take those same garden vegetables somewhere unexpected. Inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi’s Flavor, I roast the eggplant until soft and deeply browned, then blend the creamy flesh with lemon, Dijon, garlic and Greek yogurt. What began in the garden becomes the dressing itself – creamy, savory and bright enough to pull the whole salad together.

Roasted Eggplant Dressing

• 2 eggplants – roasted – flesh only
• 5 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove – minced
• 3 tbs greek yogurt
• 2 tsb Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise.

Score the flesh, sprinkle with salt, and turn them upside down on a wire rack to rest for 10 minutes. The salt will extract the bitterness from the eggplant.

Pat dry with paper towel. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with pepper.

Roast in a pre heated 400 degree oven, flesh side up, for 35 – 40 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Remove and let cool. Scrape out the flesh and combine with all ingredients in a food processor and mix until creamy. Refrigerate until ready to use. Drizzle generously over salad ingredients.

Salad Ingredients

• Mixed greens – I used butter lettuce and spinach
• breakfast radishes – sliced thin with a mandolin
• 1 avocado – pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced (with a squeeze of lime juice)
• Parmesan cheese – finely grated – a dusting
• toasted almonds
• roasted pumpkin seeds

To toast almonds: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place slivered almonds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake 4-5 minutes or until golden. Set a timer and watch them closely – they can easily burn. You’ll smell their nutty aroma just as they begin to toast.

Kabie Plates

Vinaigrettes aren’t just for salads. Spoon a little beneath grilled fish or vegetables, or drizzle it around the plate. Scatter the tomatoes and and limas instead of grouping them – repeating ingredients across the plate keeps your eye moving. Build a little height when you can – a piece of grilled fish or chicken is the perfect place for a small handful of lightly dressed greens.