Green Salad with Charred Eggplant Yogurt and Smashed Cucumbers

I have returned from a brief hiatus.

With the US border remaining closed to Canadians we have sadly (cue violins and weeping) not been able to travel to our family cottage for another summer. And so many Canadians have done during COVID, we travelled within our own province and showed the kids some of the great highlights of Ontario. In proper tourist fashion we took in Niagara Falls- rain coat clad tours and all. We spent days at Canada’s Wonderland, the beach, and Niagara in all of its tourist and cheeky attraction. It is a trip I have not taken since I was a child, and returning with my children filled me with loving nostalgia and a sense of national pride. It is important to remember to be tourists in our own backyards.

All of that wonderful sentiment aside, there is nothing I hate more than cooking in an poorly stocked Airbnb kitchen. And this kitchen made other bachelor pads seem well-equipped. We are talking lack of a can opener, repeatedly utilizing a swiss army knife, trying to grate cheese in a magic bullet (surprisingly effective!) poorly stocked. I returned home with renewed love for my kitchen.

I also returned home to a garden overloaded with cucumbers, tomatoes and eggplants and promptly looked for delicious ways to use them all up.

This is the recipe that adores the cover of one of my favourite recent cookbooks- Falastin. It is as beautiful as it is delicious and an excellent way to use up the last of your August produce. Harissa is a South African spicy red pepper condiment that is becoming more widely known. If you can’t find it at your local grocery store, it is available online or you can substitutes other chili pastes to taste, or omit it entirely.

Green Salad with Charred Eggplant Yogurt and Smashed Cucumbers

Adapted slightly from Falastin, Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley

Serves 4 as a side

Eggplant Yogurt
2 small eggplants
2 Tbsp Greek yogurt
1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp salt

Smacked Cucumber
1 medium English cucumber, peeled, sliced in half lengthwise, and watery seeds removed
1 1/4 cups parsley, roughly chopped
1 1/4 cups mint leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 clove garlic, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

Salad
5-6 baby gem lettuces bases trimmed, or 1 large head Boston bibb lettuce, trimmed and torn into large pieces
salt and pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp harissa or shatta
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes or Urfa chili flakes (optional)

Char the eggplants: If using the oven, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Prick the eggplants with a knife and place the eggplant on the lined sheet on the top rack and set the broiler on high. Roast, turning the eggplants every so often, until the exterior is black and the eggplants have completely softened and collapsed. This can take 30-45 minutes. If using a gas stovetop, line your gas range burner with a layer of aluminum foil. Prick the eggplants with a knife and place them directly on top of the gas range grate. Roast over a medium flame for 20-30, minutes, turning them occasionally as they cooks. Let the eggplants cool.

Scoop the flesh out of the charred eggplants. Place this in the bowl of a food processor along with the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, and salt. Blitz for about 1 minute, until completely smooth, then set aside until needed. Rinse out the food processor.

To prepare the cucumber: Place each half on a cutting board, cut side facing down. Using a meat mallet or the flat side of a knife, lightly smack the cucumber until bruised but still holding their shape. Cut the cucumber into roughly 1/2 inch dice and set aside in a medium bowl.

Add the parsley, mint, garlic, olive oil and salt to the food processor. Blitz for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides a couple of times if you need to, to form a smooth paste. Add the paste to the cucumber. Set aside for at least 20 minutes, or up to 1 day in the fridge.

Assemble the salad: Slice each head of baby gem lengthwise to make eight long, thin wedges (per lettuce). If using Boston Bib, tear the lettuce into small chunks. Arrange the lettuce on a round platter, in a circle, moving from the inside of the platter out. Lightly sprinkle the lettuce with salt and a grind of black pepper, then splatter the eggplant yogurt on top. Spoon on the cucumber, drizzle with the harissa, sprinkle with the chili flakes (if using) and serve.