INGREDIENTS
Serves: 6
- 3 medium eggplants (about 2 ¾ lb/ 1.2 kg in total)
- ½ cup / 90 gr creme fraiche (or heavy cream)
- ½ cup / 40 gr grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ⅔ cup / 5.3 oz / 150 gr Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons dried mint
- Pinch of saffron threads, soaked in 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water
- Handful fresh mint leaves, chopped
- Olive oil
- Fine grain salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1 lb / 453 gr linguine, spaghetti or thin noodles (I used Ancient Harvest quinoa spaghetti)
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 450º F (230ºC) and place a rack in the middle.
- Pierce the eggplants in a few places with a sharp knife and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and roast in the oven for about 1 hour, until the flesh is soft.
- Set aside and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Cut in half, spoon out the eggplant flesh into a colander, and let drain.
- In the meantime, place the creme fraiche and grated Parmesan cheese in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and whisk until smooth.
- Add Greek yogurt, lower the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly (you don’t want the yogurt to separate). Set aside.
- In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil with dried mint and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cumin seeds and saute’ for 10 to 12 minutes until soft and golden, stirring every now and then.
- Add eggplant flesh, crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of of ground black pepper. Cook for 4 minutes, until heated through.
- Add lemon juice, cook for 1 further minute and remove from the heat.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook pasta “al dente” (it should retain a bite).
- Drain, stir a bit of olive oil through the pasta, mix, and then divide among shallow bowls or plates.
- Drizzle the mint oil over the top, followed by the eggplant mixtures. Top this with the creme fraiche-yogurt mixture, followed by the saffron water, chopped fresh mint, and a final drizzle of olive oil.
Serve!
Nutrition facts:
One serving of the sauce (just the sauce) yields 202 calories, 11 grams of fat, 19 grams of carbs, and 9 grams of protein.
Credits to: theironyou.com
