| Did a friend forward this to you? Sign up here. Eggplant season My friend Paula in Austin — who writes the marvelous Stained Pages News — recently harvested the most adorable little purple eggplants from her garden. Like lavender Easter eggs with pert green stems, they reminded me of this recipe for a salad with toasty bread and crispy eggplant, a Reem Kassis original. It takes less than an hour to make, so I thought it was a good idea for a weeknight. But it does require a few steps. First, you're going to toast some bite-size pieces of pita with a bit of olive oil. While that's happening, put the tomatoes in a strainer and sprinkle them with salt so they release some of their juices. (This will also concentrate their flavor, in case tomatoes aren't quite at their peak where you are.) Now, it's time for the hardest part — but I promise, it takes 10 minutes, start to finish, so stay with me! You're going to shallow fry the eggplant in vegetable oil until it gets wonderfully crisp on the outside while the insides get all silky and soft. After the eggplant is done, it's time to make the dressing. You'll use some of the drained tomato juice as a base for a lemony tahini drizzle. It's just the thing to bring out the best flavors of early summer produce. Really a deconstructed eggplant sandwich, it makes a marvelous meal any night. Serve it with hummus or grilled chicken, a bowl of labne or grilled halloumi for munching on the side.  | Today's recipe |  Photos by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post | Eggplant Bread Salad - If shallow frying feels like a hassle >> you could roast the eggplant instead, but it will take longer.
- Avoiding bread? >> Try crisping chickpeas in olive oil instead of the pita.
- No eggplant? >> Consider using roasted or sauteed mushrooms, cauliflower or fresh zucchini, salted alongside the tomatoes.
- The green chile adds a little burst of heat >> but you can always skip it.
Storage Notes: The croutons can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Want to save this recipe? View it on Voraciously here and click the bookmark icon below the serving size at the top of the page to add it to your Reading List. For easy printing and scaling, view this recipe in our Recipe Finder. Servings: 4
Active time: 20 mins
Total time: 40 mins Ingredients - 1 cup bite-size pieces pita bread
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 10 ounces tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces (or halved, if using cherry tomatoes)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt, plus more as needed
- Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 1 medium eggplant (about 12 ounces), trimmed and diced into 1-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 green chile, such as jalapeño or anaheim, thinly sliced
- Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh mint, finely chopped
Steps1. Make the salad: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. 2. Arrange the bread on a large, rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and toss to combine. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp but not browned. Remove from the oven and set aside. 3. While the pita chips are baking, place the tomatoes in a large colander set over a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Set aside for at least 20 minutes, tossing occasionally, to let the juices drain into the bowl. 4. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add enough oil to come 3 inches up the sides and heat until it registers 350 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, or until a morsel of bread immediately rises to the surface and bubbles vigorously when dropped in. Line a large plate with towels and place near the stove. 5. Working in batches if necessary, fry the eggplant pieces until uniformly golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggplant to the towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. 6. Measure 2 tablespoons of drained tomato juice into a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, tahini and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. 7. Transfer the tomatoes to a serving bowl and add the fried eggplant, scallions, chile, mint and pita chips. Drizzle with the tahini sauce and toss to combine. Let the salad sit for 5 to 10 minutes to let the bread absorb the dressing, then serve. From food writer Reem Kassis. Tested by Jim Webster. Due to the varying amounts of oil used in frying, ingredients are too variable for a meaningful analysis.  | Dessert | 🎧 "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals.
📖 "Why Côtes du Rhône Is the Wine to Drink Right Now" by Lettie Teague in the Wall Street Journal.
🍆 "Eggplant can be a love-or-hate proposition. Here's how to treat it right." by Becky Krystal in The Post.
💬 "A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." – Lao Tzu
👀 Give me all the ice cream cakes!
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