Chickpea Orzo Salad With Harissa Roasted Eggplant Recipes

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt and oil. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain well.
• Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir lemon juice and oil with wire whisk. Stir in cucumber, onion, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper.
• In large bowl, gently toss tomato and chickpeas; stir in pasta, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the cucumber mixture. Add cheese; toss gently.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil two baking sheets (or use nonstick). Combine the 1/4 cup olive oil and the peanut oil. Brush eggplant slices on both sides with the mixture, then place on pans. Roast, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, spices and molasses, and bring to a simmer. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste. (The amount of sugar will depend on the tomatoes' sweetness; there should be a hint of sweetness in the mixture.) Simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook until thick, 5 to 10 minutes more. Stir in half the pine nuts and set aside.
• To serve, place a slice of eggplant on a platter and spoon tomato-chickpea mixture onto the wide end of the slice. Fold the narrower end of the slice over to cover the filling and place a mint leaf on top. Repeat with remaining slices and garnish with remaining pine nuts. Serve cold or at room temperature, topping each piece with a dollop of yogurt, if using.

Steps:

• Cover the onion with water and set aside for half an hour-this reduces the harshness of its taste when eaten raw.
• Next prepare the eggplant. Spread the half-moon slices out on a baking sheet and brush them with olive oil. Place on a high rack under the broiler for 5 minutes, then take out and brush again with a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice-you can make it quite wet, as the eggplant will absorb all the liquid. Place back under the broiler until the edges of the slices are slightly blackened and the flesh is soft. Set aside in a large bowl.
• On the same baking sheet, spread out the chickpeas and broil until they're golden. Add them to the bowl of eggplant.
• Dice the tomatoes into small cubes and add to the bowl along with the parsley, drained red onion slices, garlic oil, cayenne pepper, remaining lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper and mix well. Serve warm, with a sprinkling of slivered almonds.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orzo according to the package directions. Drain, toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Let cool in the refrigerator.
• Toss the eggplant with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and place in a colander set over a bowl or in a sink. Put several bowls or plates on top of the eggplant and let drain for at least 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. In a heavy 10-inch skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and the canola oil over medium heat. Squeeze the excess liquid from the eggplant, blot with paper towels and toss in a bowl with the flour. In two batches, fry the eggplant until the cubes are crisp and golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the prepared baking sheet. (Add a little extra oil to the pan for the second batch, as needed.)
• In a large bowl, toss the orzo with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the lemon juice and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Fold in the olives, peppers, mint, dill, basil and manouri. Taste and adjust for seasoning with additional salt, pepper, lemon juice or olive oil. Just before serving, toss in the fried eggplant.