Roasted Eggplant with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce and Cumin-Crisped Chickpeas

Shea and I have been relying heavily on the internet for recipes recently, so this week we decided to break out some of our old fashioned cookbooks for new ideas. As you know, I love both the blog and the book written by Deb Perlman called "Smitten Kitchen". It seems like literally everything I make from her book or blog I end up loving, and this dish was no different.

I was worried that this dish might be too simple, especially considering the star of the dish, the eggplant, has almost no treatment to it at all. Just a little bit of oil, salt/pepper, and then roasted. While it was simple, it was still delicious. The tartness of the yogurt-tahnini sauce mixed with the saltiness of the chickpeas balanced out the earthy flavors that are so fantastic about a roasted eggplant. Yum, yum!

Roasted Eggplant with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce and Cumin-Crisped Chickpeas

Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perlman

Ingredients
1 3/4 Cup (from a 15.5 ounce) cooked chickpeas, drained, patted dry on paper towels
5 Tablespoons olive oil
Coarse or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Teaspoon ground cumin
3 Pounds small eggplants (Italian style eggplants if you can find them, 4-7 ounces each)

Yogurt-Tahini Sauce
1/3 Cup tahini paste
2/3 Cup full fat, thick plain yogurt
3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Garlic cloves
1/2 Teaspoon table salt
About 1/3 cup cold water
2 Tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley

Directions
Crisp Chickpeas - Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Toss the chickpeas with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, and ground cumin. Spread them on a baking sheet, and roast on top rack for 30-40 minutes, rolling them around on the tray from time to time, until they are browned and crisp. I find that freshly cooked chickpeas crisp faster, so you may need less time for them to crisp if not canned.

Roast Eggplant -- Brush a large baking sheet or roasting pan with a generous tablespoon of oil. Halve the eggplants lengthwise, arrange them, cut side up, in one layer on the oiled sheet. Brush the cut sides lightly with a tiny amount of additional oil, and sprinkle them generously with salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Carefully flip the eggplants so that their cut sides are against the pan, and roast for another 15 minutes, until they are bronzed underneath and tender throughout. If you are using large eggplants, you may need up to 5 minutes additional roasting time.

Make Yogurt-Tahini Sauce -- Whisk together tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and salt; the mixture will become very thick and stiff. Add water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture is smooth, with a thick but pourable consistency. I find that about 5 tablespoons (a little shy of 1/3 cup) of water does the trick.

TO Serve - Arrange the eggplant sections, cut side up, on a large platter. Dollop each piece generously with yogurt-tahini sauce. Sprinkle with crisped chickpeas and parsley. Serve immediately, passing extra chickpeas and yogurt tahini sauce.