Israeli Roast Eggplant, Hummus, and Pickle Pitas

INGREDIENTS

1 large baking potato

Salt

1 medium eggplant, sliced 1/2 inch thick

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

1 cucumber—peeled, halved, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 large tomato, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 large jalapeño, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Freshly ground pepper

4 thick, sturdy pita breads, warmed

1 cup hummus

1/4 cup tahini, at room temperature

4 large hard-cooked eggs, sliced

4 small dill pickles, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a small saucepan, cover the potato with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Cook over moderate heat until just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool, then peel the potato and slice it 1/4 inch thick. Season the potato slices with salt.

Meanwhile, arrange the eggplant slices on a rimmed baking sheet and brush both sides with olive oil. Season with salt and bake for about 10 minutes, until browned and tender.

In a large bowl, add the cucumber, tomato, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro and parsley. Toss with the lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Cut off 2 inches from the side of the warm pitas to make openings in the pockets. Gently open the pitas. Spread the hummus on the bottoms and 1 tablespoon of tahini over it. Layer the potato slices, eggplant, egg and cucumber-tomato salad in the pitas, along with some of the salad juices. Top with the pickle slices and serve.

COMMENTS

Recipe found in Food & Wine's July 2012 Issue, posted with the following comments:

At Butcher & Bee in Charleston, S.C., owner Michael Shemtov and chef Stuart Tracy prepare this messy, incredibly tasty vegetarian sandwich, called a sabich, with vegetables, hummus, house-baked pita and herbs from a garden right behind the restaurant. “The sandwich is Iraqi-Israeli, just like me,” Shemtov says. “It’s a personal dish.”

Israeli Tabouli

Ingredients

1 cup Israeli couscous* (see below comments)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup lemon, zested and juiced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

3 to 6 scallions, chopped

3 tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

Place 1 cup couscous in boiling water and follow packaging instructions. Once cooled, transfer to container and add all other ingredients.

Additional ingredients you might wish to add in include arugula, zucchini, pickles, black olives, etc. Not all of these additional ingredients mix well together, so pick and choose which ones work! 

*Optional, to use whole wheat and/or a flavored couscous. For flavored couscous I highly recommend the Near East Basil & Herb Pearled Couscous. It was always hard to find in the grocery store, and I'm happy it's finally available on Amazon!