It is so named I suppose for several reasons. You place a dollop of it on a cracker to eat, it has somewhat of a tiny bumpy texture, and the taste is exquisite. It’s not remotely fancy, but one can pretend, right? My friend Kathi brought this eggplant caviar to a dinner I hosted this summer and if not for the fact that there were several people to be served, I could easily have eaten the whole batch. (I got my wish the following week when we made another batch together. Amen for recipe testing.) It’s paleo. It’s vegan. It’s amazing. It looks like baba ganoush, but without the sesame tahini. Just roasted eggplant, roasted red bell pepper, garlic, basil, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise. Score the cut side of the eggplants in a crosshatch pattern with a sharp knife, in lines about an inch apart. Poke the skin sides of the eggplants with the tines of a fork all over. Line a sheet pan with foil. Spread 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the bottom of the sheet pan, and sprinkle evenly with salt. Place the eggplants cut side down on the foil lined pan. Place in oven and cook for 35 minutes, or until completely cooked through and very soft. If grilling, cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, and poke the skin sides with the tines of a fork. Brush the cut side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill cut side down until lightly browned and cooked all the way through. If the eggplants brown too quickly, turn them over and finish the cooking on the skin side. Once the eggplants have cooled to the touch, peel off the tough outer skin and discard. You can put the bell pepper under a broiler in a broiler pan and broil on all sides until the skin is completely blackened. OR you can place the bell pepper directly on the grates of a gas stove and roast over the open flame, until blackened on all sides. OR you can grill on high direct heat, turning, until blackened on all sides. Once blackened, place the bell pepper in a bowl and cover with a plate to steam for several minutes. Once the bell pepper has cooled to the touch, peel off the charred outer skin. Remove the stem and seeds. Serve with crackers, pita chips, crostini toasts, or for gluten-free option celery or cucumber sticks.
