Test Kitchen: Chermoula Eggplant

Easy, healthy recipes tested for you weekly at the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen
Jay Patruno, Dietetics Student, SAR ’18

About the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen: We’re all about making healthy taste delicious here at Sargent Choice.  That’s why we’ve teamed up with faculty-in-residence Dr. Karen Jacobs to offer students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to trial and taste-test new Sargent Choice healthy recipes each week at the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen.  Dr. Karen Jacobs invites students of all majors (not just nutrition) into her home on Boston University’s campus to cook up a recipe developed by Sargent Choice Registered Dietitian, Jennifer Culbert.  Feedback from the weekly Test Kitchen gets incorporated into future Sargent Choice recipes and helps shape the face of healthy dining at BU.

Why we chose this recipe: Chermoula is something most people probably haven’t even heard of, let alone attempted to make. So what exactly is chermoula? Chermoula is a marinade commonly used in North African cuisine for flavoring meats and fish.  In keeping with the vegetarian theme of the SC Test Kitchen recipes, we used the marinade to flavor eggplant instead.  Another vegetarian substitute could be portabella mushroom tops.  This recipe is a great way to experiment with an exotic flavor profile (using some herbs and spices that you already may have in your kitchen)!

Feedback from the Test Kitchen: This recipe was a hit at this week’s Test Kitchen! People really enjoyed the cooking process and the flavors of the chermoula marinade. We substituted the bulgur in this recipe with course buckwheat (kasha), which we highly recommend trying, particularly if bulgur is hard to find. This made for a great vegetarian main dish and one that could easily be modified for fish and meat lovers alike.

Sargent Choice Chermoula Eggplant with Bulgur and Yogurt
Recipe modified from The New York Times
Yield: 4 servings

 Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon peel
2/3 cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
2 medium eggplants
1 cup fine bulgur
⅔ cup boiling water
⅓ cup golden raisins
3 ½ tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons cilantro, chopped, plus extra to finish
2 teaspoons mint, chopped
⅓ cup pitted green olives, halved
3 green onions, chopped
1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup Greek yogurt
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. To make the chermoula mix together in a small bowl the garlic, cumin, coriander, chili, paprika, preserved lemon, two-thirds of the olive oil, and ½ teaspoon salt.
3. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Score the flesh of each half with deep, diagonal crisscross cuts, making sure not to pierce the skin. Spoon the chermoula over each half, spreading it evenly, and place the eggplant halves on a baking sheet, cut side up. Put in the oven and roast for 40 minutes, or until the eggplants are completely soft.
4. Meanwhile, place the bulgur in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water.
5. Soak the raisins in the warm water. After 10 minutes, drain the raisins and add them to the bulgur, along with the remaining oil. Add the herbs olives, green onions, lemon juice and salt and stir to combine.
6. Serve the eggplants warm or at room temperature. Place ½ eggplant, cut side up, on each plate. Spoon the bulgur on top, then some yogurt. Sprinkle with cilantro.