A fried eggplant and pita bread salad recipe for summer - The Washington Post

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This recipe is from food writer Reem Kassis, who shared corn, eggplant, summer squash and tomato recipes inspired by her childhood in Jerusalem, where many of the Arab world’s culinary traditions have converged.

Throwing stale bread into salad is a practice born out of necessity and is common across many cultures. The results can be so delicious, it has become normal to toast bread specifically for salads.

This one takes the traditional Palestinian tomato-tahini salad and marries it with fried eggplant sandwiches, reimagining both as a single dish.

For easier preparation, you could broil the eggplant instead of frying it, but there is something decadent about the fried version that makes it worth the effort.

Recipe note: The croutons can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Ingredients

• 1 cup bite-size pieces pita bread
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 10 ounces tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces (or halved, if using cherry tomatoes)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt, plus more as needed
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 1 medium eggplant (about 12 ounces), trimmed and diced into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 green chile, such as jalapeño chile pepper or anaheim, thinly sliced
• Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh mint, finely chopped

Make the salad: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Arrange the bread on a large, rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and toss to combine. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp but not browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the pita chips are baking, place the tomatoes in a large colander set over a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Set aside for at least 20 minutes, tossing occasionally, to let the juices drain into the bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy pan or Dutch oven over medium high heat, add enough oil to come 3 inches up the sides and heat until it registers 350 degrees on an instant-read thermometer or until a morsel of bread immediately rises to the surface and bubbles vigorously when dropped in. Line a large plate with paper towels or clean kitchen towels and keep near the stove.

Working in batches if necessary, fry the eggplant pieces until uniformly golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggplant to the towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt.

Measure 2 tablespoons of drained tomato juice into a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, tahini and a pinch of salt and stir to combine.

Transfer the tomatoes to a serving bowl and add the fried eggplant, scallions, chile, mint and pita chips. Drizzle with the tahini sauce and toss to combine. Let the salad sit for 5 to 10 minutes to let the bread absorb the dressing, then serve.

Nutrition Information

Due to the varying amounts of oil used in frying, ingredients are too variable for a meaningful analysis.

From food writer Reem Kassis.

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