Eggplant Caviar

This is one of the easiest crowd pleasers you will come across.  The garlic and olive oil added to the eggplant make this one irresistible dip.  And fyi: it freezes well too.  So if you have access to great local eggplant and herbs in the summer months I highly recommend making batches of this and freezing it to help get you through the winter--just make sure to freeze it in the size batches you will you want thawed.  


Ingredients
2-3 Large globe eggplants (the big round purple kind--these work the best for this recipe; Asian eggplants don't have enough flesh and the paler Italian varieties don't puree the same once they are cooked)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (use a good quality first-cold pressing oil)
5 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
juice of 1/2-1 lemon (depending on its juiciness!)
1/2 cup fresh herbs, finely chopped after measuring (My preference is generally for a basil and parsley mixture, but I have also used oregano, chives, and tarragon in the mix before--depending on what I have had in the garden.)
Salt to taste (maybe just less than one tablespoon)


Putting It Together
Cut the stem end off of each eggplant .  Stab each eggplant a couple of times with a knife.  Bake in a 375 degree oven until they are tender (maybe 45ish minutes).  I generally leave them in the oven over night, but that is really just out of laziness--you can make this as soon as the eggplant are cool enough to handle.  Cut them in half, and scoop out the flesh. Toss the skins.  Mince the flesh as fine as you can get it and put it into a bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients, mix and adjust the seasoning.  This will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. 


Serve with bread or toast.  (It also goes really well with scallops--just cook your scallops and then place them on a bed of eggplant caviar. A mache salad with a lemon mustard dressing would make a nice side.)


Pairing Suggestions:  Any kind of dry rose will go well with this dish! As will a negroni or pastis...