Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Dip

My husband and his colleagues recently started a monthly movie night. The genre is horror, or more appropriately “horror-ble,” but I have to admit the films always provide a good laugh. Last week’s pick was a 1970s movie called “The Beast Must Die.” Yes, it is as brilliant as it sounds. Six people find themselves in a secluded mansion. One is a ravenous werewolf and the audience is asked to “follow in a monster’s footsteps, piece together the clues, and solve the mystery….” I spent most of the movie admiring the detective’s snazzy wardrobe. How I loved those shiny pleather jackets and star sequined tops. The movie was thoroughly entertaining, though not quite in the way it was intended to be!

The movie nights are generally a potluck so I thought I would try out a roasted eggplant and tomato dip with some chips on the side. I put a few tomatoes with a large eggplant in the oven and baked it for about 20 minutes to get a rich flavor. I then cut them into chunks and put them in the blender with some garlic paste, salt, pepper, and a few red pepper flakes. Everyone really enjoyed it so I thought it would be worth sharing. It’s a quick, easy, and healthy snack if you’re having a few friends over for a movie or game night. I’ve also tried it with pasta and it tastes great.

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Dip Recipe

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients

1 large eggplant (or 2 small ones)

3 tomatoes

Garlic paste (1 heaped tsp)

Salt

Pepper

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover a baking tray with foil and oil,

Cut the eggplant into 4 pieces. Put whole tomatoes and eggplant on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with some salt and freshly ground pepper. Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

After vegetables have roasted wait for them to cool slightly and then slice each tomato in half and put it in the blender along with the eggplant. Add 1 heaped tsp of garlic paste and then top with ½ tsp of salt and pepper (Add more salt later if needed). Add a few red pepper flakes but not too much if you want a bit of a kick. Pulse together in the blender until mixture has a smooth consistency. Allow to cool down in the fridge or to room temperature before serving.