Subject: Baklazhannaia Ikra, Russian Eggplant Spread
From: Gregory Nickoloff <[email-masked]>
Date: 25 Aug 1996 12:32:06 -0600
Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes

This is a Russian recipie for an eggplant spread that she may find 
interesting...I 
suppose caviar could be added, but on its own, its delicious.

Baklazhannaia Ikra
     
1 large eggplant
1 cup finely chopped onions
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, chopped, seeded
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons black pepper
dark rye or pumpernickel bread

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Puncture eggplant several times to allow steam to 
escape.  (Nothing's worse than cleaning bake-on, exploded eggplant off your oven

walls!)  Bake the eggplant on the middle rack for about an hour, turning it over
once or twice until it is soft and it's skin is charred and blistered.
Meanwhile, cook the onions in 4 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderate 
heat until they are soft but not brown (6-8 mins). Stir in the green pepper and 
garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes longer. With a rubber 
spatula, 
scrape the contents of the skillet into a mixing bowl.
        
Remove the skin of the eggplant with a sharp knife, then chop the pulp finely, 
almost to a puree (it should be almost soft enough to stir in). Add it to the 
mixing 
bowl and stir in the tomatoes, sugar, salt, and a few grindings of black pepper.
Mix 
together thoroughly. Heat the two remaining tablespoons of olive oil in the 
skillet 
over moderate heat and pour in the eggplant mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring 
constantly, then turn the heat to low, cover the skillet, and simmer for an 
hour. 
Remove the cover and cook for another half-hour, stirring from time to time, 
until 
all the moisture in the pan has evaporated, and the mixture is firm
enough to hold it's shape in a spoon. Stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 
taste 
for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Transfer the 
mixture to a bowl and chill, covering it with plastic wrap, until ready to 
serve. 
Serve on pieces of rye bread.

 Gregory Nickoloff               Toledo, Ohio
 http://www.toledolink.com/~gnickoloff/
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