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Americas Test Kitchen - Season 26 - Episode 14: Mediterranean Eggplant Dishes
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00:36Today on America's Test Kitchen, Ben makes Julia silky roasted eggplant with tomato and feta.
00:44Jack talks all about hummus.
00:46And Antoinette makes Bridget a Moroccan eggplant meze.
00:50It's all coming up right here on America's Test Kitchen.
01:03Eggplant is the vegetable of choice when making a vegetarian spin on a classic recipe.
01:08And today Ben is going to use eggplant in a saganaki dish.
01:11That's right.
01:12So one of my favorite dishes is the Greek saganaki, typically cheese lit on fire with like flambeed ouzo.
01:18It's also sometimes shrimp with like feta and tomato sauce.
01:21And that's one of my favorite dishes.
01:22So whenever I have vegetarian friends coming over, I like to swap the shrimp for eggplant because it's nice and
01:27meaty.
01:28It soaks up all that really nice spicy sauce.
01:30So first thing we need is about two and a half pounds of eggplant.
01:33Okay.
01:33So first thing I'm going to do is peel the eggplant.
01:35All right.
01:35So no peels.
01:36No peels.
01:37So typically you could leave the peels on if you wanted to.
01:40But again, I'm really going for the very silky smooth texture here.
01:43So what I like to do is cut this into about half inch slices on the diagonal.
01:47The reason why I do a diagonal and not completely crosswise.
01:49Because you're fancy.
01:50Yeah, that too.
01:52Crosswise, they can fall apart on the baking sheet.
01:54And then if you do lengthwise, they get a little stringy when you try to dip them out of the
01:57pan later.
01:57So I found a nice Goldilocks in-between angle.
02:00It's perfect.
02:02So what I'm first going to do is because, you know, eggplant uses a lot of oil.
02:06We're going to take two tablespoons of oil.
02:07I'm going to put one tablespoon on each baking sheet.
02:10And we're going to brush around.
02:11That gives a nice surface for all that eggplant to lay on.
02:13So now we have them greased and ready to go.
02:15We're going to just line up some of our eggplant slices here.
02:17About nine to a sheet.
02:19And so now we're going to coat the top in more oil as well.
02:22I know this seems like a lot of oil, but, you know, the eggplant soaks it up and really needs
02:25it.
02:25So we're going to take a quarter cup of oil here.
02:27I'm going to brush two tablespoons on mine.
02:29And then I'll give you the other two tablespoons to brush on yours.
02:32And you really want to make sure it's really nice and well-coated with the oil as well.
02:35Don't be skimpy.
02:39All right.
02:40Fantastic.
02:41So now the eggplant is nice and covered in olive oil.
02:43We're going to season it with two teaspoons of salt.
02:46Which, again, I know sounds like a lot, but it drinks it up.
02:48And eggplant needs a lot of seasoning.
02:50And I can tell you using kosher salt because kosher salt has a crystal shape with more crags in it.
02:55So it doesn't bounce off the food when you season it.
02:58We actually tested this.
02:59Kosher salt over table salt bounces 50% less off the food.
03:03Wow, that's amazing.
03:04Isn't that incredible?
03:05And then we're also going to do three quarters of a teaspoon of cracked black pepper as well.
03:09Okay, perfect.
03:10So now that the eggplant is nice and seasoned, we're going to put this in a 450 degree oven,
03:14which I know sounds really high.
03:16It does.
03:16The point here is to get really intense caramelization, and that's going to take about 30 minutes.
03:20And we're going to switch the baking sheets and rotate them about halfway through cooking,
03:24just to make sure everything is nicely even.
03:27Oh, Ben, those look good.
03:29Don't they?
03:31Would you do me a favor and turn the oven down to 375?
03:34Sure.
03:37So now we're going to let the eggplant cool for about five minutes.
03:40And while that happens, we're going to get started on our sauce.
03:42Okay.
03:43So over here, we have about two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil heated in a 12-inch skillet over
03:47medium heat.
03:48And we're going to add one finely chopped onion.
03:52So we're going to cook the onion for about four to six minutes, just until it's nice and soft and
03:56caramelized.
03:57And while that's cooking, we're going to move back over here to our eggplant.
04:00And I'm just going to flip them now.
04:02So we let them cool for about five minutes just to make sure they're not too fragile.
04:05And then we flip them just so they don't stick to the baking sheet.
04:08Oh, okay.
04:08Let's take a little metal fish spatula like this.
04:11Just kind of flip them over.
04:12And as you can see, they kind of got nice and caramelized on the bottoms as well.
04:14So I'm going to continue flipping all these eggplant slices over, and then we can continue working on the sauce.
04:21Okay.
04:21So, Julia, now you can see the onions are really nice and well caramelized, just starting to brown.
04:26And so we're going to add the rest of the aromatics to the sauce.
04:29First thing we're going to use is one tablespoon of tomato paste.
04:34I have two cloves of garlic that are minced up.
04:38I have one teaspoon of dried oregano.
04:40This is the really Greek part, of course.
04:42Yep.
04:43And then I have half a teaspoon of crushed red chili flakes.
04:46And we'll just stir those in to the onions, let the tomato paste kind of caramelize,
04:50and let the oregano and chili flakes kind of wake up in that oil.
04:53This will take about two minutes.
04:56Doesn't it smell good in here, Julia?
04:57It is starting to really come together.
04:59The aromatics smell really wonderful and it smells like a green tomato sauce.
05:02So the next thing we're going to do is add a half cup of dry white wine.
05:05This is to kind of deglaze.
05:09That's a hot pan.
05:10Delicious juices on the bottom of the pan.
05:12Yes, just kind of stir and scrape up a little bit.
05:14We want to let this cook for about a minute just to kind of reduce down and kind of concentrate
05:18those flavors, get everything nice and evenly dispersed.
05:21Once that's done, just like that, we're going to add one 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes.
05:26Okay.
05:27Straight into the pan just like so.
05:30Just want to make sure to get every last bit out.
05:32And I'm actually going to keep this can and then to it, you know, we always need a little
05:36sugar to balance the city of tomatoes.
05:38I have about half a teaspoon of sugar.
05:40Now that the sauce is nice and simmering and bubbling, we can reduce the heat to medium-low.
05:44So we're going to let this simmer for about five minutes.
05:47So now that the sauce has been simmering for about five minutes, it's nice and thick and
05:51good to go.
05:52So we're going to just remove it from the heat.
05:53And it smells delicious.
05:55Thank you so much.
05:55It's like all that oregano and the chili flake is really coming through.
05:59So we just want to make sure we season it well.
06:00Just a little salt and pepper.
06:02Stir in the seasonings.
06:03Make sure everything is really well mixed.
06:05So now comes the fun part.
06:07My can that I say from earlier.
06:09So what I'm going to do is, why dirty another dish?
06:12We want to take some of the sauce out so we can layer it with the eggplant.
06:14Instead of pouring it to a bowl, I just keep the can.
06:16I like it.
06:17And you know, it is going to be hot.
06:18It's a metal can, hot sauce.
06:20So make sure to use a towel, hold it like that.
06:21So I just spoon out probably about two-thirds of the sauce into the can.
06:25Because we're going to do three layers of sauce and eggplant.
06:28So we have about a third of the sauce in the pan here.
06:31So now I'm going to take about a third of my eggplant slices and move them into the
06:35pan.
06:35And so what we want is eggplant on the bottom and sauce on the top.
06:39So you just want to kind of move it around, get some of that sauce to kind of cover the
06:43eggplant like that.
06:45It's kind of like making lasagna.
06:46Yeah, literally lasagna, but with eggplant instead of noodles.
06:49So now that you have the sauce of the eggplant like that, another layer of eggplant.
06:55If you want to, you can kind of straddle both the slices so you kind of build a more
06:59sturdy structure, you know.
07:01Make sure it's nice and even in the middle.
07:02So now I'll grab my sauce from earlier.
07:05And now we're going to do about half of what's left in here and spoon that over this layer
07:08of eggplant.
07:10Just like that and kind of use a spoon to kind of spread it.
07:13And then onto our last layer of eggplant.
07:18So here's our last layer of sauce.
07:21Okay.
07:22We'll do a little smoothing over here.
07:23So now that all the sauce and eggplant has been layered up and it's a nice sturdy foundation,
07:27now we have eight ounces of sheep's milk feta that we're going to crumble up over the top.
07:31Okay.
07:32This is going to kind of contrast all that kind of hot, spicy sauce and soft eggplant.
07:36And so I use here a really dry sheep's milk feta.
07:39I was just going to say, that's not the creamy French style feta.
07:41No, because the creamy French style would just kind of melt like a mozzarella cheese and
07:45you don't want that.
07:45You want these kind of dry crumbles that when they bake up in the oven get nice and crusty.
07:50So now this is all ready to go.
07:51We're going to put it back in the oven, the 375 degree oven.
07:54And we're going to cook it until the edges are nice and caramelized.
07:57The feta is crusty on top and the sauce is bubbling in the center, which you know, it's
08:00like fully hot.
08:01That's going to take about 35 to 40 minutes.
08:03Okay.
08:10Oh, Ben, that smells delicious.
08:12Sounds great.
08:13So this is really nice and bubbling right now.
08:16Oh.
08:17Nice and crusty.
08:17Look at that.
08:18So to get the best flambe, you want to do this right away while that sauce is still
08:22bubbling at the edge.
08:23So we're going to take about two tablespoons of ouzo.
08:24You could use grappa, you could use brandy, vodka, any kind of neutral liquor.
08:28This is also completely optional, but you know.
08:30It is not optional in my house.
08:31Who doesn't want a shot of liquor with our dinner?
08:33And we want to immediately set it on fire.
08:35So I'm going to use a stick lighter here.
08:39Oh, that's a lovely, tame fire.
08:42You could do this table side.
08:43It's very like winter fire side.
08:45Oh.
08:46Gentle fire.
08:46But you can smell the caramelizing ouzo, which I think is really nice and works with
08:50the feta and the spicy tomato sauce and the eggplant as well.
08:53Oh, I love it.
08:54So this is going to go for about 20, 30 seconds until the flames die down.
08:57And then the best part, we get to eat it.
09:00So now that the flames have subsided, it's time to eat.
09:03See, what's so good about this is you get to just lift up all that kind of soft eggplant
09:07and tomato sauce with the feta.
09:09It's kind of like an eggplant lasagna.
09:11Yeah.
09:11Greek lasagna, if you will.
09:13The perfect thing to like put into a bowl and kind of tuck into on the couch.
09:18The best thing to use with this, because it is so saucy and soft, is a nice piece of crusty
09:23bread.
09:23Oh, yes, please.
09:23So if you like some bread, there you go.
09:24I love that you served it kind of torn in half.
09:27Absolutely.
09:28So you can kind of rip off a piece.
09:29Yes.
09:30Oh, that's the best.
09:31Rip some off, drag it through.
09:32It's almost like a more constructed dip, if you think about it that way as well.
09:37Mmm.
09:38That good?
09:38Mm-hmm.
09:39I'm going for a piece of eggplant.
09:41Oh, that's lovely.
09:42Caramelized edges and the spiciness of the sauce.
09:45Yeah, the eggplant has this silky consistency.
09:49You get the tomato and then you get a little kick of spice.
09:52And then the last little hit of that salt from the feta.
09:56Kind of cools everything down.
09:57Mm-hmm.
09:58But again, the texture of the eggplant is out of this world.
10:01It is.
10:02Yeah.
10:02But it's crisp around the edges, so it has two different textures.
10:05Ben, this is delicious.
10:07Thank you for showing me how to make it.
10:09My pleasure.
10:09If you'd like to make Ben's eggplant saganaki style, start by roasting slices of eggplant in a hot oven.
10:16Layer the eggplant with a homemade tomato sauce and some feta.
10:19Then after heating everything through in the oven, set it on fire with some ouzo.
10:23From America's Test Kitchen, Ben's very own recipe for silky roasted eggplant with tomatoes and feta.
10:29I can imagine eating this cold, actually.
10:32Oh, absolutely.
10:33You can go either way.
10:34Cold or hot, this is great.
10:35Yeah.
10:41So we're tasting hummus today.
10:42And Julia, we have a special guest, Ashley Gibson.
10:45Welcome.
10:46Thank you, Julia.
10:47Thank you, Jack.
10:47So Ashley was, as you know, a contestant on America's Test Kitchen, The Next Generation.
10:52And she won a prize to come back and do a taste test with us.
10:55Ashley, I know you're a culinary arts teacher in Texas.
10:57Yes.
10:58Your students are going to be watching.
10:59Are you nervous?
11:00They're so nosy.
11:01So they're going to tune in for sure.
11:04And I'm always nervous when there's high schoolers around, you know.
11:06But you guys make me feel so at home here.
11:09So I'm excited.
11:10Good.
11:10So you guys can dig in.
11:11You have spoons.
11:13You can start with the sample closest.
11:15So hummus is now a billion-dollar business.
11:18Wow.
11:18I know.
11:19Four things I want you to be looking at from a flavor perspective.
11:22One, how forward are the chickpeas, the tahini, so the sesame paste, garlic, and then there should be lemon or
11:30some acidic element.
11:31Now, if you're making this at home, you're using lemon juice, some of these brands are using vinegar, some using
11:35citric acid, some lemon.
11:37Garlic and spices are optional.
11:39I will say all of these have garlic and spices.
11:41And so you'll sort of see them come forward or maybe stay in the background.
11:46And then there's texture, depending on how they're processed.
11:49So begin with the…
11:52What was that?
11:54Oh, that totally threw me off.
11:56I'm sorry.
11:57My eyes went zoink.
11:58Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:00Well, that's good.
12:00I mean, there are differences here.
12:02And so these are all the plain flavors.
12:04We know there's now, you know, there's chocolate hummus, believe it or not.
12:08There's beet.
12:09Yes, there is.
12:11There's beet hummus.
12:12These are all the plain, original flavors.
12:15So the ingredient lists are pretty similar, but they're actually pretty different from each other.
12:19You're going to notice that some ingredients are really jumping out or maybe receding in certain brands.
12:25And the other thing is texture.
12:27So there are two things that are impacting texture.
12:29One is usually when they're cooking the dried chickpeas, they'll add a little bit of baking soda to get the
12:33skins off.
12:34And if you can get all the skins off, you get a sort of less grainy, creamier hummus.
12:39You know, ideally, you want it to be ultra creamy and kind of whipped.
12:43Julia, you've been tasting.
12:46You want to give me some initial reads on the four samples?
12:50Sample D is wackadoo.
12:51I don't know what is in sample D.
12:54It's like, that's what made my eyes go boing.
12:56It is really interesting.
12:58But when you said these are all plain hummus, that is not a plain hummus.
13:01There is a lot going on there.
13:02Very acidic.
13:04Behind the acidity, there's a lot going on.
13:06Yes.
13:06So the other three samples?
13:07They're good.
13:08They're very similar to each other.
13:10I have a slight preference for C.
13:12It's nice and balanced.
13:14B is very smooth.
13:15I like that, too.
13:17A, I like as well, it has more of a lemony flavor.
13:19That's what kind of came up first.
13:21But I like them all.
13:22Okay.
13:23So you don't have to agree, by the way, with Julia, because she's often wrong.
13:27Oh, wow.
13:29It's a little shade.
13:30So, you know, because there is a winner here.
13:33And so, you know, she may or may not have picked the winner.
13:36So you don't necessarily need to follow her lead, although you can.
13:39Okay.
13:39So tell me what you thought about the samples.
13:41Okay.
13:41So what was the term?
13:42Wackadoo?
13:43Wackadoo.
13:43Okay.
13:44C was wackadoo for me, Julia.
13:46Oh, really?
13:46I usually agree on so much.
13:48So I feel like I'm waddling a little bit because C was wackadoo for me.
13:51I feel like it had a lot going on.
13:53And then D was the cousin to the wackadoo for me.
13:56Okay.
13:57So A and B are my go-tos.
13:59I thought I was going to enjoy B the most, but A is, that's going to be mine.
14:03It's super creamy.
14:04I tasted some garlic in it, which I love, you know, because I'm a garlic girly.
14:08And if I'm thinking about what I'm using this for, spreading it on some kind of a cracker,
14:12a bread, I think this is the one I want.
14:14Okay.
14:15So, yeah, I'm a fan of A.
14:16All right.
14:16So you're going with A.
14:17Yeah.
14:19You're team C.
14:20I like C.
14:21Team C.
14:21Well, I'm not going to talk about you.
14:23No, I like C.
14:24Yeah, I do.
14:24It's grainy.
14:25It's a little grainy, but I don't mind.
14:27Okay.
14:29So why don't we start with the tasting panel's favorite, which was A.
14:36That's what I'm talking about.
14:38I still love you though.
14:39Well done.
14:39I still love you though.
14:40Well done.
14:40So this is Joseph's.
14:42Okay.
14:42And I think the two things about this brand is it felt really balanced.
14:45And so, you know, when you do a tasting with a large group of people kind of hitting the middle
14:50of the road, you know, it wasn't too lemony.
14:52It wasn't too garlicky.
14:53It's also really smooth and people appreciate that.
14:56So A from Joseph's was the winner.
15:00The runner up was Cedars.
15:04So this is B.
15:05Again, people felt like it was well balanced.
15:08It was a little grainier than A, but really well liked.
15:13We liked all these, Julius.
15:14So don't worry.
15:15So C is the Sabra.
15:17That's the brand I buy.
15:18I'm familiar with that one.
15:19Yeah.
15:19So it is the number one selling brand in the United States.
15:21A lot of times when you do a tasting, actually, you pick the thing you know.
15:25Okay.
15:26You know, you do it subconsciously.
15:27You think, well, that's what hummus is supposed to taste like.
15:30And so I'm guessing that's what you did here.
15:34And then D is Ithaca.
15:36And Ithaca had vinegar and lemon.
15:39It was just felt like it was the most sour of all these.
15:42And for people who love, you know, acidity, great.
15:45But it was way at the end of the spectrum in terms of bringing that forward ingredient.
15:50So congratulations.
15:53I get another prize.
15:55You get to take hummus home.
15:57Hummus home.
15:58No types of hummus.
15:59Yes.
16:00Yes.
16:00So Ashley, thank you for coming and joining us.
16:03Julia, thanks for being a good sport.
16:05You know, and.
16:07Well played, ma'am.
16:13One of my favorite parts of a Moroccan meal is when I get to take a big piece of crusty
16:18bread
16:18and scoop it into silky, smooth eggplant Zalouk.
16:22So tasty.
16:23Lucky for me and for us, Antoinette's here.
16:26And she's going to show us how we can make Zalouk at home.
16:28That's right, Bridget.
16:29And this recipe is really good.
16:30It has that delicious smoky flavor.
16:32And we're just using the broiler.
16:34Very smart.
16:34Yes.
16:35Super easy.
16:35So let's get started.
16:36So I have one and a half pounds of eggplant here.
16:39But before they go into the oven, we have to make six pokes inside so they don't explode.
16:43The baked potato theory.
16:45Exactly.
16:45We want to eat it, not clean it off the sides of the oven.
16:48Now we also want to make sure, like you said, smooth and silky.
16:52We want to cook these at a moderate temperature.
16:54So we have our rack in our oven placed 12 inches from the broiler.
16:58And we want these to cook slowly.
17:00So we're going to broil these for about 25 minutes until they are shriveled, slightly darkened,
17:05and then yield to gentle pressure.
17:06Okay.
17:07Making sure, though, that we do flip halfway through.
17:12For Zaluk, we cook whole, unpeeled eggplant.
17:16And this helps us accomplish a couple of things.
17:19First, the skin keeps moisture inside the eggplant while it broils.
17:22That moisture turns to steam.
17:25As the steam from within cooks the eggplant, the heat and moisture soften the pectin cement
17:30that holds the cells together and makes its flesh silky smooth.
17:33Meanwhile, the skin of the eggplant darkens in the heat, developing intense charred flavor,
17:39which permeates into the interior.
17:41So when we finally peel the eggplant after cooking, we're left with a creamy interior and deep smoky flavor.
17:48Ooh.
17:55Whoa.
17:56Yum.
17:57Very different from when they went in.
17:59Look how shriveled they are.
18:00I know, and it's slightly darkened and then, like, yield to pressure.
18:04Oh, yeah.
18:05It's super hot.
18:05Very hot.
18:06So we want to let those cool for about 10 minutes.
18:07Okay.
18:08So while those are cooling, let's work on our tomatoes.
18:10We have a pound of vine-ripened or round tomatoes.
18:13Now, plum tomatoes are not going to work well here, so you want to make sure vine-ripened or round.
18:18Okay.
18:19So the first thing we want to do is we want to peel off the skin.
18:21Here we're going for smooth, velvety.
18:23That skin is going to get in the way.
18:25Definitely.
18:25So I have a vegetable peeler, and really easy, just remove that skin.
18:32And then we want to core it, so we want to get rid of this middle part, so we're going
18:36to use our paring knife here, and then give it a nice chop.
18:43So we'll add this here.
18:45Okay.
18:46In our skillet, we have two tablespoons of olive oil heating up over medium heat.
18:52Now, before we go in and dump our tomatoes in there, we want to get our spices going first.
18:56And you've got a lot of spices.
18:57We do.
18:58We do.
18:58So we're starting off with seven cloves of minced garlic, one teaspoon of paprika, one teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon
19:08of cumin.
19:08Definitely a key ingredient here.
19:10Oh, absolutely, for that flavor.
19:12Half a teaspoon of sugar.
19:14Now I'm adding an eighth of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
19:17You are not fooling around here.
19:18Not at all.
19:19We want flavor, smokiness, all of that.
19:21The oils on medium heat.
19:23So we're going to stir this around in our pan, again, just so that those spices and the garlic can
19:29get really fragrant.
19:31So about 60 seconds.
19:32Okay.
19:34So this is looking really good and smelling really good, too.
19:37Sounds fantastic.
19:38So we're going to add in our tomatoes.
19:44And we want to stir this around and also mash them down.
19:48So as these cook, we want the water from the tomatoes to evaporate so that we have that really concentrated
19:54tomato flavor.
19:55The smell is amazing, isn't it?
19:57So good.
19:57And we'll let this go for about 12 to 15 minutes.
20:01We can see they've broken down in the smell.
20:04So good.
20:05So much concentrated flavor in here.
20:07But all that liquid came out.
20:08Now it's a gorgeous, thick mixture.
20:10Exactly.
20:11We see the texture change.
20:12So these have a few more minutes.
20:13So let's jump on over to our eggplants.
20:15I'll babysit.
20:16So we want to peel these since we've roasted them.
20:19The peeling process is going to be really easy.
20:21Just come in here.
20:22It's one of the most satisfying things ever.
20:25It is.
20:26Yum.
20:28Velvety silkiness.
20:32So we've gotten the skin off.
20:33Let's give it a nice little rough chop.
20:36It doesn't need much help.
20:37It doesn't.
20:38We're already there.
20:39And then we'll add it to our bowl.
20:42This process can be done a day ahead if you want to get a jump start.
20:45You know, the original eggplant were not purple.
20:48Really?
20:48Yeah, they were tiny and white or golden in color.
20:51And that's how they got the name.
20:53Eggplant.
20:53That makes sense.
20:54Yeah, they said they look like a goose egg.
20:56So I learn something new every day for you.
20:58So we're rounding out at about 12 minutes here.
21:01Majority of that liquid is gone.
21:03Yes.
21:03So now we can add in our eggplant.
21:05Okay.
21:06Adding a lot more liquid back in.
21:07Yes.
21:08So kind of same deal as when we added in the tomatoes.
21:10We want to mash these down as we're cooking.
21:12Then we want to add in one and a half tablespoons of our cilantro.
21:16Some freshness.
21:17Give this a stir and cook until everything is nice and combined.
21:22About 12 to 15.
21:25So Bridget, it's been about 15 minutes.
21:28Notice that texture change.
21:29Oh yeah.
21:30All that water has evaporated.
21:31It's nice and smooth.
21:33It smells amazing.
21:34It smells fantastic.
21:35It does.
21:36So we're going to turn off the heat.
21:38And we're going to add in one tablespoon of lemon juice.
21:41Okay.
21:41Stir this until it's nice and incorporated.
21:44And then we want to season to taste with lemon juice and salt.
21:48So I'm going to give it a quick little taste.
21:53Not that much is needed.
21:55I'm just going to add a little bit of salt.
21:57Okay.
21:59Give this a good stir.
22:00And now we are ready to plate.
22:01Great.
22:02We're just going to add this to a bowl.
22:07So delicious.
22:09And then we are going to garnish with our remaining two tablespoons of olive oil.
22:15And one and a half teaspoons of cilantro.
22:19Ah, gorgeous.
22:20Now it's time to eat.
22:21Yes.
22:22So we're just going to serve it with some crusty bread.
22:24And we're going to be real rustic about it.
22:25Just rip it and go.
22:27Tear it up.
22:28Yes.
22:29Oh, it's nice and warm too.
22:30And then smelling it alone is an incredible pleasure here.
22:36All those toasty spices and the concentrated flavor or the aroma from the tomato.
22:43Mmm.
22:45It is so smoky.
22:46As if it was out at the grill.
22:48Broiler.
22:49The broiler.
22:50Yeah.
22:50So you've got that really beautiful char on it.
22:52Smoky, but it's so silky.
22:54It is.
22:55Beautifully smooth.
22:56And you didn't puree it at all.
22:58It was just a matter of basically that eggplant giving up the ghost in the oven first and then
23:02in the skillet.
23:03It just dissolved into this beautiful silky smooth puree.
23:06I love the smoky flavor, but I think my favorite is the addition of the lemon juice and the
23:10cilantro because it adds so much brightness to this.
23:13You just changed my mezza from meh to magnificent.
23:17That's what I'm here for.
23:18Love cooking with you anytime.
23:21And if you want to try this fabulous dish at home, it starts with broiling unpeeled eggplant
23:26until darkened.
23:27Toast garlic and spices and oil to bloom their flavor.
23:30And then mash in the eggplant and cook until the mixture is thickened.
23:33So from America's Test Kitchen, a marvelous Moroccan Zalouk.
23:38You can get this recipe and all the recipes from this season along with product reviews and select
23:44episodes.
23:44And you'll find those all on our website, americastestkitchen.com slash TV.
23:51All right.
23:52Might need some more bread.
23:53Oh, yes.
23:54We're going to get through all that.
23:55I think we can do it though.
23:57With pleasure.
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