Eggplant Walnut Dip

Roasted eggplant blended with toasted walnuts and tahini for a savory summer appetizer

After all the recipe testing and re-testing for HashtagIceCreamWeek I needed to eat piles and piles of vegetables. I say needed both because my body craved them and because the vegetables from the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share were piling up all over the kitchen!

I decided to tweak a recipe from last summer: Layered Summer Vegetable Appetizer. In that recipe, I'd kinda glossed over the whole eggplant base in favor of the method [to my madness]. Today I want to shine a spotlight on eggplant dip.

I first tried eggplant with walnuts when I ate my way around the elementary school cafeteria during International Night. A family from Georgia [the country, not the state] had a delicious eggplant and walnut dish. I loved it, though sadly I never got the recipe nor can I find it on the internets. Instead, I'm using toasted walnuts processed with roasted eggplant in a dip today. I get an eggplant out of the crisper and we get a light supper or after school snack [my son likes this with sliced carrots, so if you like hummus with carrots you may also like this].

Um, I've already roasted the eggplants in this photo. They aren't old or anything.

Now you see why I layer this dip up with goodies. It's kinda drab-looking on it's own. Tasty, but drab.

Eggplant Walnut Dip

2 medium globe eggplants
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cloves garlic
½ cup fresh parsley leaves
⅓ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
⅓ cup tahini
olive oil and toppings to serve

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub eggplants with olive oil, stab them a couple of times, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes until eggplants are somewhat deflated looking. Set aside to cool a bit.
While the eggplant is roasting, toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium high heat until fragrant (3-4 minutes). Set aside to cool.
In a food processor, combine eggplant flesh (ditch the skin), toasted walnuts, and the rest of the ingredients. Pulse to bring the mixture together, then process until it's a uniform paste, stopping to scrape the sides occasionally.
To serve, spread on a plate and drizzle with olive oil, topping with whatever fresh and preserved vegetables you've got on hand. We especially like feta cheese, olives, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes.

One more just because I didn't want your final view to be the naked dip.