Whoa, this week. Between the heat and both kids being sick, I feel…heavy. Like I’m trying to do everything underwater, but, you know, really hot water. I catch myself daydreaming about our recent trip to VA and NC, where temperatures were probably pretty high, too, but we had the beach or pool to keep us cool and only fun things to tackle.
I’m also missing the awesome produce from my mother-in-law’s garden, particularly the eggplant. When we visit this time of year, we eat obscene amounts of eggplant – no meal is safe (I’m looking at you, breakfast). Grilled, roasted, sauteed, parmigiana’d…
We were sent home with a small bag of these precious beauties, both your standard dark purple and a magenta and white variety called Rosa Bianca. Rather than recreate one of our vacation experiences, I thought up a dip quite different from anything we’ve eaten recently. It’s inspired by this eggplant spaghetti with miso brown butter sauce, which haven’t had in over a year but still remember how deeply satisfying it was. This spread boasts those same nutty, salty, umami flavors but is versatile enough to use in any meal of the day, or even as a party appetizer.
We dug in the first night to this roasted eggplant dip with homemade brown butter pita chips, and then layered it with tomatoes and cucumbers for a pita pocket lunch the following day. For the third rendition, we re-made the pita pockets, added sauteed ground beef.
That last application was my favorite, but given the current weather conditions I’d probably just dip in cucumber rounds if I made it today.
Note: I put za’atar in both the dip and on the pita chips, but they’re both great without the extra nutty, herbaceousness. I’m just a little obsessed with this spice mixture.
Miso Brown Butter Eggplant Dip
2 medium eggplant
1 red onion, peeled and halved
3 garlic cloves, peeled
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp white miso
1/2 tbsp za’atar (optional)
Place an oven rack on the second-highest position and turn on the broiler. Place the eggplant and red onion (cut-side up) on a baking sheet and top the onion with a splash of olive oil. Place the garlic on a small piece of aluminum foil, cover with a olive oil, seal shut, and add to the baking sheet. Broil the vegetables until the eggplant skins are burnt and everything is tender, about 20 minutes, flipping the eggplant after 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, being whisking and continue cooking until it becomes light brown and smells nutty, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Peel the skins off the eggplant and remove the stem. Put the roasted eggplant, onion, and garlic in a blender or food processor. Add the brown butter (use a spatula to get all the browned solids), miso, and za’atar and process until smooth.
Brown Butter Pita Chips
4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 rounds of pitta bread, cut into 8 pieces each
1 tsp flaky salt
1 tsp za’atar (optional)
Preheat oven to to 375 degrees F. Heat the butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, being whisking and continue cooking until it becomes light brown and smells nutty, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, toss the pita triangles with the brown butter to evenly coat. Spread on a large baking sheet and sprinkle with the salt and za’atar. Bake until crispy and just starting to brown, 7-9 minutes.
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