Persian inspired braised eggplant

Plus Mel's Staples: Must-haves, essentials & more in your pantry & fridge Part 6

Being in Vermont inspires me a lot to use Vermont Craft products and produce these days. From cheese to maple syrup and beyond, I’m feeling very experimental about the food and beverages I’m making and the recipes I’m creating.

A little while ago I came across a very intriguing maple syrup variation - many sugar makers here in Vermont infuse their syrups with local herbs, flowers or spices -, a sumac berry infused maple syrup. I’m using this one right here, which I got gifted for going all crazy with it. Hehe.

I know that (staghorn) sumac grows here in Vermont, as well as back in Germany. I’m also aware that Middle Eastern cuisines use sumac a lot in their dishes, but have actually never used it in any of my recipes. Until now that is.

Sumac is known for it’s lemony taste and vivid red color, when using the dried berries ground into a coarse powder for meaty and poultry dishes, salads or sauces.

I was like, why the heck not use it in a Veggie dish? I actually love the combination of the sweet syrup and the tangy sumac berry, so here we go.

I’m feeling very inspired to make some sweet & savory creations with it. My first recipe idea is a Coffee Mocktail that I’ll be sharing on my Instagram very soon…

The recipe that I’ll be sharing in this week’s blog post is inspired by my favorite eggplant dish of my favorite German Food Photographers Krautkopf that they had shared on their App in 2016, braised eggplant.

Whenever I was making that recipe in the past, I always felt it needed some more oriental or Middle Eastern spices in addition to the dates that are being used in it already. So, I started adding cinnamon and cumin.

This time with having my hands on the sumac berry infused maple syrup I felt inspired to look into Persian cuisine a little more and came up with a flavor combination that I really like in that dish.

But before we dive into the recipe, let’s get you some more of those staples.

Must-Haves for your pantry & fridge

• balsamic vinegar

• millet

I feel like, we all need some grainy base in our savory dishes. Hence all of the carbs I’m using in my recipes are among the Must-Haves, rice, quinoa, and now millet.

Millet

Similar to quinoa millet is a pseudo grain and is being used a lot in African and Middle Eastern cuisine. The reason why it’s always in my pantry is, that I’m making a lot of Indian, Middle Eastern inspired and other oriental dishes and don’t always feel like rice. So, for a change I’m opting for quinoa or millet.

Millet can be fluffed up the same way as it can be done with rice. It doesn’t have a very strong taste to it, so blends in very nicely with any dish you’re making really.

Balsamic Vinegar

THE go-to ingredient in Italian dressings or reduced to a glaze drizzled over Mozzarella & tomatoes with it’s rich and slightly sweet flavor.

But not so much in my cooking. I am doing a lot of dressings and sauces, but barely use balsamic for that, unless it’s Italian inspired that is. I do love it in savory dishes such as the one below.

Essentials for your pantry & fridge

• sage

This is the first time that I’m introducing herbs into my staples. A staple that I’m using all the time actually. Why is it not on my Must-Have-List then, you’re asking?

Well, I only buy herbs, unless I have potted herbs on my balcony, as I did in my former apartment, when I’m actually using them. Because once bought, they go bad or wilt very quickly.

Sage

This one is among of my favorite herbs, for Italian pasta dishes as well as Middle Eastern dishes. You’ll see how I’m preparing it in the recipe below.

If you heard about smudging herbs or spices before, to clear and clean your energy or your space or your home, sage is often bundled into small bundles and then dried. Which then can be burned. It provides a beautiful scent.

Nice-to-Haves for your pantry & fridge

• dates

• hazelnuts

These two already sound quite oriental, don’t they? Well, it gets better, once you scroll down to the recipe. Just saying. ;-)

Dates

I use them in some of my vegan sweet treats, such as these Raw Vegan Chocolate Treats. Or like here in savory dishes. And as a Snack, of course.

Dates are a healthy sweetener that is very versatile. When soaked, it can be used for blending in into your Smoothies or sweet spreads. You name it.

The origin, of course, is the date palm tree that grows a lot in parts of Africa and the Middle East. There’s different varieties, such as Medjool dates, that are slightly more expensive, softer and bigger than the ones you usually buy at the grocery store.

Hazelnuts

It’s the first time I'm introducing nuts in my staples series here on Mel’s Treats. Although, I put different kinds of nuts on my oatmeal every morning, I’m not often using them in my savory dishes. Except for Middle Eastern or Indian inspired recipes. I often use Cashews here.

Hazelnuts are also used in German Christmas cookies baking, e.g. for Vanillekipferln (vanilla crescents). In general, I guess I’m using hazelnuts more in my sweet treats and baking, and not so much in my savory recipes.

Mel’s Persian inspired braised eggplant with millet

This recipe is among my favorite recipes that I would often make for friends as well as my at that time partners. It’s a comfort food with a very special oriental twist.

In the past I would use fresh tomatoes with it, and you can totally do that, especially in the summer, when the tomatoes have just the right summer sweetness.

But after making that dish at least 10 times in the past years, I found, peeling the tomatoes, unseeding them and draining them to get rid of all the juices is very labor-intensive.

So, I’m now opting for canned diced tomatoes, especially in the winter, when the store-bought tomatoes aren’t doing this delicious summer fruit any justice.

I was very curious about how the spices and the sumac berry infused maple syrup go with that recipe. And am very happy how it turned out. But see and try-taste for yourselves.

This is what you need for 3-4 servings

• 1lb eggplant, chopped into bite sized pieces

• olive oil, canola oil

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

• 1 large can diced tomatoes, preferably organic, or about 2lb fresh tomatoes (skins peeled off, without the seeds, cut in quarters or smaller depending on the size of your tomatoes

• 7-8 dates, finely chopped

• 5-6 sage leaves, deep fried in olive oil

• hazelnuts, toasted in a skillet without oil, then chopped

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 2-3 tbsp sumac berry infused maple syrup

• 1/2 tsp or more ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp or more coriander powder

• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

• 1/2 tsp or more cumin powder

• 1/4 tsp or more, if you like it spicier, Cayenne pepper

• salt to taste

• 1/2 cup millet (dry)

How to make the braised eggplant

1. Salt the eggplant and stir-fry them in oil, I used canola for this, on high heat. At this point, it’s important to give them a nice toasty color and roasted flavor. Set aside.

2. In a different skillet or pan fry the onions and garlic until translucent.

3. Add in the dates, then the tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes.

4. Now add all your spices, the sumac berry infused maple syrup and the balsamic vinegar and let simmer for about 10 min. Taste in between and add more spices, if needed.

5. Meanwhile cook your millet with a ratio of 1:3, that is 1/2 cup of millet needs about 1 1/2 cups of water. Cook until soft and fluffy. Add some salt.

6. In a different skillet toast your hazelnuts without oil until nice and toasty. Take them out of the skillet, let cool a little bit, then chop. Set aside for garnish.

7. In a small pan or pot heat some olive oil and add your sage leaves. Deep-fry the leaves until nice and crunchy. Don’t do it like me this time and burn your leaves, because the oil got too hot…

8. Add the eggplant to your spiced tomatoes and cook another 5-10 minutes. Taste again and add more of your spices or the sumac berry infused maple syrup or the balsamic vinegar.

9. Serve and garnish with the toasted hazelnuts and the fried sage.

10. If you like, pair a glass of red wine with that dish. Enjoy!