‘Arabesque Table’ Eggplant Salad with Tahini

If we had to pick one dish to bring to a mezze potluck, it would be this one, hands down, adapted from The Arabesque Table by Reem Kassis. It’s not a traditional dish — it’s Kassis’ invention, combining elements of mutabal (roasted eggplant dip with tahini) and bitinjan al rahib (“monk’s eggplant” — roasted eggplant with fresh vegetables). In the roasted eggplant part of the dish, we love the pops of flavor from sliced green olives and the crunchy texture of toasted walnuts; pomegranate molasses pulls the flavors together delightfully. A thick tahini sauce cushion is a creamy, rich foil. We serve it with warm or toasted pita bread.

READ: Cookbooks We Love: Reem Kassis’ ‘The Arabesque Table’ offers irresistible spins on Levantine traditions

Note: The first time we made this, we followed instructions for the tahini base exactly as written in The Arabesque Table — stirring the tahini, lemon juice, yogurt and salt with 3 tablespoons of water. The consistency of the resulting tahini was not spreadable at all; it was completely liquid. Next time we made it, we didn’t add any water, and it was perfect. Possibly it has to do with the brand of the tahini paste you use — we used a Lebanese tahini whose flavor we love, Ziyad brand, which isn’t very thick. If you used one that was thicker, you’d probably need some water to thin it. We revised the recipe accordingly.

Serves 6 to 8 as part of a mezze spread, or as an appetizer.

Ingredients

For the tahini base:

1/2 cup (4 ounces, 120 g) tahini

4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 tablespoons yogurt

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the eggplant salad:

2 medium eggplants, about 2 1/4 pounds/1 kg total

1/2 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped, or to taste

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into small (1/4-inch) dice

1 small tomato, diced

20 pitted green olives, thinly sliced

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed in a garlic press or grated on a Microplane

2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 500 degrees, with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.

2. While the oven heats, prepare the tahini base. In a medium bowl, stir together the tahini, lemon juice, yogurt and salt until smooth. The base should have a spreadable consistency, slightly thicker than Greek yogurt. If it is too thick, add up to 3 tablespoons water, a tablespoon at a time, stirring to completely incorporate after each addition. Taste, adjust seasoning and set aside.

3. Use a paring knife to make 2 or 3 deep incisions in each eggplant, and place them on the lined baking sheet. Roast until the flesh is very soft and the skin is crisp and cracks when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel the eggplants and place the flesh in a wire sieve set to drain over a bowl for 10 minutes or so.

4. Transfer the eggplant to a large bowl, and add the serrano chile, red bell pepper, tomato, olives, walnuts, garlic, parsley, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and salt. Stir well until completely combined. Taste and adjust seasoning.

5. To serve, spoon the tahini mixture onto a platter or shallow bowl, and use the back of the spoon to make a well in the center. Place the eggplant salad in the center and serve.