Eggplant Caviar

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 5 anchovy fillets (or 1 tablespoon anchovy paste)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (or to taste)
• salt
• 2 -3 tablespoons chopped parsley, for garnish
• toast points or toasted pita bread, wedges
• chopped hard-cooked egg
• chopped red onion
• capers
• greek yogurt

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 400 degrees f. puncture the eggplant all around with a sharp knife. place on a baking sheet or shallow baking dish and bake about 1 1/2 hours until it is very soft.
• 2 meanwhile soak anchovy fillets in cold water for about 10 minutes. pat dry and smash with a fork. place anchovy in a large bowl; add garlic, shallot, capers and pepper. add a tablespoon olive oil and mix. set aside.
• 3 once eggplant is done, allow to rest until is cool enough to handle. cut open and scoop out the pulp into a large strainer. scrape the inside of the skin with a spoon to remove all the pulp. press pulp into strainer to remove as much moisture as you can. let drain about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board; chop fine.
• 4 place chopped eggplant in the bowl with the other ingredients and mix well. add remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and mix until smooth. add lemon juice to taste and salt to taste. spoon into a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
• 5 place egg in a small serving bowl; red onion in another small bowl; capers in another bowl; and greek yogurt in still another small bowl. serve with toast or pita wedges.