Eggplant Tapenade

Adapted from French Women For All Seasons

Photo Credit: Mangia Bedda

Eggplant tapenade is a twist on the olive tapenade that is commonly served in the South of France. Eggplant, the star ingredient of this recipe, is a good source of fiber, which will keep you full for hours after just a small serving of the stuff. Because fiber releases slowly into the bloodstream, it balances your blood sugar levels, not to mention lowering LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and increasing HDL cholesterol (the good kind). I cook with a ton of garlic, not just because I love the flavor and smell, but because it’s so darn good for you. Allicin, a nutritional compound in garlic that boosts immunity, peaks 10 minutes after chopping, so make sure to crush your garlic as the last step of your prep work before cooking.

Ingredients

1 American eggplant, diced into half-inch cubes
1 red beefsteak tomato, diced into half-inch cubes
8 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
8 black olives, pitted and low-sodium
8 green olives, pitted
2 teaspoons of capers
3 dashes of red wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper (mostly pepper)
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 french baguette

Preparation

Tenderize eggplant…

1. Coat eggplant cubes lightly with salt and let stand for 20 minutes under plastic wrap.
2. Rinse eggplant cubes with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.

Cook

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees, heat baguette for 6–8 minutes.
2. Heat pan—ideally a cast iron dutch oven — on medium heat, adding oil after heat begins to radiate upward.
3. Swirl pan to coat with oil until shimmery ripples appear.
4. Reduce heat to low and add garlic cloves.
5. Saute garlic for 30 seconds, increasing heat to medium-high.
6. Add eggplant cubes in two batches, seasoning each batch with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
7. Add olive oil to the second batch if the mixture is dry.
8. Add remaining ingredients and sauté until the mixture is thoroughly cooked but before it becomes soggy.

Enjoy

The tapenade mixture may be placed on your baguette or eaten separately. I try to avoid using a food processor so that the ingredients are as close to their original state as possible, but if you’d like a smoother spread, go for it! A small serving of this tapenade, accompanied by a couple slices of bread and a cup of green tea, makes for a light lunch that won’t be too heavy in the middle of a busy weekday!