Tangy Stovetop Babaganoush

With such a plethora of continually emerging, novel kitchen gadgets to assist and amuse us in the kitchen, it's easy to accept the most basic of kitchen components, such as an oven, as permanent fixtures. However, when specialkphd, of The Special K Treatment, told me about her Unbake Yourself challenge, inspired by her current oven-less living arrangements, I was immediately flooded with memories of my own times cooking without an oven... When my college roommates Lisa, Emily and I lived in a cozily cramped 12X12 dorm room for 2 years, rather than placidly accepting the college cafeteria as our primary source of sustenance, we determinedly and enthusiastically learned to cook nearly everything in our elderly, cantankerous, college-provided microwave. Lisa perfected microwave-poached salmon, Emily turned the microwave into the perfect venue for fluffy puddings and creme-filled pies, and I, after a few mishaps, even came up with recipes for cupcakes and elaborate layer cakes baked in the microwave. When I lived in England for the summer, my drafty and much beloved flat boasted a kitchen barely large enough to hold a small refrigerator and a two-burner stovetop. Infatuated as I was with the stone walls of Cambridge's narrow streets and an incredibly fortuitous view of King's College Chapel just around the corner from my flat, I was perfectly content to subsist on sauteed veggies, abundant berries, and luxurious and astoundingly inexpensive Scottish smoked salmon, but I did so long to be able to bake to chase away the chill in the thick, damp, dreamy air...

Hence, I should surely pause with gratitude more often before I slip a tray of vegetables into the oven to roast... For most of her life, my paternal grandmother prepared incredibly lavish Sabbath meals in her minuscule, oven-less Jerusalem apartment, wisely telling us, with a plucky smile "at least I have electricity!"

Returning to the challenge at hand, however... During my microwave days, the one dish I wasn't able to prepare without an oven was roasted eggplant. Nothing, it seemed, could replicate the smokey, creamy flavors that magically emerge when an eggplant spends some quality time in a 475 degree oven. Babaganoush, one of my favorite foods, seems impossible to prepare without the heady depths of roasted eggplant. I'm a firm believer in the nothing is impossible adage, however, and thus last week I embarked upon the creation of a babaganoush that doesn't require roasting - an eggplant dip that also carries the added benefit of a much shorter prep time, making it more appropriate for unexpected guests than the unhurried hour roasting requires.

(Alas, eggplant is so inescapably brown... Truly, though, this dip hides a powerfully flavorful surprise beneath it's ordinary, unaesthetic exterior!)

The answer was enchantingly simple - boosting the flavor with sweet-tangy balsamic vinegar, honey, and caramelized onions yielded babaganoush with an incredibly addictive flair...

Tangy Stovetop Babaganoush

1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 large eggplants, diced
½ cup honey
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper to taste
Za'atar or minced parsley, for garnish

~ Soak the eggplant in salted water for 5-10 minutes, then drain and dry.
~ Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
~ Add the onion and sauté over high heat until the onions are limp and golden.
~ Add the eggplant and cook until lightly browned (4-5 minutes), stirring occasionally.
~ Reduce the heat to low, and add the honey, vinegar, cumin, and cayenne. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover the skillet, and continue to cook until eggplant is very tender - approx. 1/2 hour.
~ Scoop the eggplant mixture into a food processor, and puree until smooth (making sure to allow an escape route for the steam while pureeing).
~ Garnish with the za'atar or minced parsley and serve warm, with pita or whole wheat crackers...