Oven Roasted Eggplant and Peppers

This is such a straightforward, mess-free dish to make that I make it often when I've got these veggies on hand, but no time to fuss around making more complicated or involved dishes. While it's roasting, I put some rice on the stove adn make a Cacik yogurt sauce. It's an absolutely delicious combination.  When it comes to cooking/roasting with our olive oil, no worries there. It has a high tolerance for heat without oxidizing, which when roasting shouldn't be an issue, anyway.

As experts suggest, the chemical structure and healthful antioxidants of extra virgin olive oil protect it from heat during cooking. A high-quality "EVOO" like ours has a smoke point of around 410 degrees Fahrenheit. That makes extra virgin olive oil fine for sautéing, roasting, frying and even deep frying.

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 eggplant, half peeled

4 cups sliced peppers- mixed colors or just green ones 

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Dried parsley, about 2 tablespoons or to taste 

4-6 tablespoons Oil of Anatolia premium extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Mix the eggplant and peppers so they are thoroughly combined and place them in an oven-safe dish large enough to spread it out so that they’re not too crowded.

Add the salt, pepper, Oil of Anatolia, and parsley.

Bake for 20 minutes, then pull out and use a spoon to thoroughly mix, making sure all of the ingredients are well-oiled.

After another 20 minutes or so, when they are nicely browned, remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Serve on top of rice or pasta. Goes nicely with a homemade hot sauce or chili-paste, or even a small bowl of yogurt, like Cacik. 

*This recipe first appeared on MyHalalKitchen.com