Souvenir from a nice weekend…

We visited friends in Naples this past weekend and had a lovely time. We shopped and talked and laughed and shared some good food. We drove to Goodland and had lunch at The Little Bar. We have been there many times in the past and it was nice to take a little trip down memory lane.

Jack had conch chowder served with a generous splash of sherry. We all had fried oysters but I was talking so much I didn’t take pictures!

My friend made Baba Ghanoush.  It was wonderful. Jack and I made it yesterday. Yum.

Today’s lunch below.

I made a plate with spring greens, heirloom tomatoes, leftover asparagus and Baba Ghanoush with torn pita bread. I found the recipe for this wonderful eggplant creation in a Williams-Sonoma cookbook called Small Plates by Joanne Weir published in 1998.

Baba Ghanoush

• 1 large eggplant
• 1/4 cup tahini, plus a little more if needed
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 fresh lemon juice, more if needed
• 1 pinch ground cumin
• salt, to taste
• 1 Tablespoon good olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives
• Pita bread

Prepare a medium hot fire on grill. Preheat oven to 375°. Prick the eggplant in several places with a fork and grill. Turn frequently until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh starts to feel soft. This takes about 15 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet and bake until very soft (about 20 minutes). Remove from the oven and let cool. Cut in half and scoop out the innards discarding the skin. Place in bowl of food processor and blend to a paste. The directions in the recipe call for mashing it with a fork. The processor was more efficient. Add the tahini, garlic, lemon juice and cumin. Mix well. Season with salt and taste. Add more tahini and/or lemon juice if needed. When ready to serve, transfer the mixture to a serving dish and with the back of a spoon, make an indentation and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with torn pita bread and the olives. Garnish with parsley.
The recipe suggests serving at room temperature. We ate it right out of the refrigerator. We also made the day before so that the flavors really had a chance to blend. Should serve 6 as an appetizer.