Roasted eggplant spread

You guys, I think someone needs to stage an intervention... for me. I'm addicted to the farmer's market.



I go every Saturday to the Union Square greenmarket, and sometimes I'll stop by the one near my office when it's there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tomatoes and onions and bell peppers and carrots and chilies and cilantro and parsley... they are just so colorful and gorgeous, I cannot resist.


But inevitably I end up with way too much that I just can't eat quickly enough. The thing about the produce at the farmer's market is that it is so fresh that it is meant to be eaten right away.

Thank goodness for this recipe for roasted eggplant spread. And thank goodness for my toaster oven.


I had bought a few bell peppers, red onion and a couple of tiny little eggplants recently - the exact ingredients needed for this super easy dip/spread. After chopping them and coating them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, I roasted them in my toaster oven for a total of about 40-50 minutes, giving them a toss about halfway through the cooking. I didn't use garlic like the recipe but probably will next time.

After cooling down the veggies a little, I dumped them into the food processor, along with my last few basil leaves and a little tomato paste. Gave it a whirl...


It didn't really need any other seasonings, because the roasting brought out so much flavor.


Oh my, yum. I pureed it until fairly smooth, but I could see keeping it a little chunkier next time.

I think I'll go back to the farmer's market to get some more eggplant and peppers so I can make this again...