Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Dip

Happy post-Superbowl!  Did you have a party?  Did you go to one?  Or are you the kind of person who just watches for the commercials?  Or maybe you’re a bitter fan like me, depressed that your own team failed, yet again, to make it to the big game.  Sigh.

If you hosted a party, I apologize, this recipe seems to be a bit late for your purposes.  But if you are hosting a party, or a dinner, or anything that requires a dip and some crackers in the future, you should try this one out.  It’s easy, it’s delicious, and it’s always a big hit. 

This dip has roasted eggplant, peppers, and onions, a touch of garlic, and that delicious flavor of cooked wine.  It’s versatile: it can do fancy shmancy cocktail party, or casual football party, and everything in between.  My mom serves it as an appetizer at her Shabbat meals, which is where I first had it.  Just try it out, ok?  I promise you’ll be hooked.

Oh, and here’s a little teaser for you: I’ll be doing a restaurant review on here later this week.  I don’t like it very much when blogs do restaurant reviews, I tend to find it a bit boring and sometimes even patronizing, and I made a point to not do posts dedicated to them, but this is going to have to be an exception.  I promise, there’s good reason for it.  I can say, without a doubt, that it was best meal I have ever had in my life.  So check back later in the week!

Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Dip:

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 eggplant

3 peppers

2 cloves garlic

1 red onion

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup red wine

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F

1.  Roughly chop the eggplant, peppers, and red onion so that all the pieces are about the same size.

2.  Toss the chopped vegetables and only one of the garlic cloves with the olive oil and wine in a large roasting pan until everything is evenly coated. Sprinkle just a touch of salt over everything.

3.  Mixing occasionally, roast the vegetables in the oven until the wine has mostly evaporated and the vegetables are beginning to shrivel and even char.  This should take about 45 minutes. 

4.  Put the roasted vegetables, the remaining garlic clove, and the tomato paste in a food processor and blend until the mix has reached your desired consistency.  If you need more liquid, add some water or olive oil slowly.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm, cold, or room temperature.

Enjoy!