Erez Komarovsky’s Eggplant Tzatziki For A Summer Middle Eastern Feast
Tzatziki and pita Image by iStock
A tzatziki (yogurt dip) featuring grilled eggplant, from acclaimed chef Erez Komarovsky.
3 medium size, light* eggplant
4 cups goat’s milk yogurt
4-6 garlic cloves, finely crushed
2 jalapenos, seeded, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. finely chopped mint
2 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. finely chopped scallion (green parts only)
½ -3/4 cup very light olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
1-2 zucchini blossoms, for garnish
1 lemon or lime
Heat a grill or open flame over very high heat. Grill the eggplant over the open flame until charred on all sides (about 4 minutes per side) until black and tender. Gently transfer to a colander, allowing to cool and drain. Peel and place in a bowl with the yogurt. Add the garlic, jalapeno and herbs.
Fold the ingredients together gently and season with salt. Begin to slowly drizzle the oil into the eggplant mixture, little by little, until emulsified. Season to taste with salt.
Place in a serving dish and serve cold. Before serving, tear some zucchini blossom leaves over the tzatziki, drizzle with additional olive oil and garnish with freshly zested lemon or lime.
Note: Look for a lighter eggplant. They heavier eggplants usually have more seeds and are therefore more bitter.
__Danielle Rehfeld Colen is the chef and founder of The Inherited Plate. She graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, The George Washington University and has worked in professional NYC kitchens and in private homes for the last 10 years. Danielle has tested recipes at Real Simple, Women’s Day and wrote and developed recipes for her food column ‘What’s Cooking’ in The Riverdale Press for 5 years. Most recently, her work was published in The Boston Globe. She caters, teaches private cooking classes and cooks with professional chefs and home cooks from all over the world to preserve and share their authentic family recipes, stories and special culinary knowledge. She lives in NYC. Follow her on Instagram @daniellerehfeld @theinheritedplate and on Twitter @daniellerehfeld._
