Grilled Naan with Smoky Eggplant Puree and Grilled Red Onions
In this dish, creamy Greek yogurt complements smoky eggplant puree to make a hearty vegetarian main dish. Here we’ve used whole-wheat naan, an Indian-style flatbread, but if you don’t have an Indian grocer nearby, you can use almost any sort of flatbread, including pita and lavash. Garnish with torn fresh mint leaves, if you like.
Ingredients
For the yogurt sauce:
- 1/2 cup (4 oz./125 g) plain Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 eggplant- 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 3 Tbs. tahini
- 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 red onion, halved and cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm) slices
- 1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
- 4 to 6 pieces whole-wheat naan
Directions
To make the yogurt sauce, in a bowl, stir together the yogurt, parsley, lemon juice, garlic and mint. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Preheat a broiler.
Place the eggplant and garlic on a baking sheet and broil until blackened, turning as needed, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let steam for 10 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the eggplant and garlic. Transfer the eggplant flesh and garlic to a food processor. Add the tahini, lemon juice, parsley and cumin, and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Warm a stove-top grill pan over high heat. In a bowl, toss the onion with 1/2 Tbs. of the olive oil and the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Grill the onions, turning occasionally, until soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Using the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil, brush both sides of the naan and season with salt and pepper. Grill the naan until grill-marked, about 3 minutes per side.
Spread the sauce onto each naan, top with the eggplant puree and onions, and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
Adapted from Healthy Dish of the Day, by Kate McMillan (Weldon Owen, 2014)