What's always the hit of the party? The dip! No matter where you are, there's bound to be a dip: guacamole, sour cream and onion, spinach and artichoke- trust me it's on somebody's coffee table. However, Erika's recipe puts all those dips to SHAME. Prior to this (in all honesty), I wasn't this biggest eggplant fan- but that's when I learned I've been eating it wrong. This recipe was brought over by Erika's family in the early 20th century and is the highlight of her family's holiday table.
Serves 8-12, Total cooking time: (35 min prep, 260 min cooking)
STEP ONE: Poke a lot of holes in the eggplant with a fork prior to cooking. Make sure the poking of the holes go deep - but no too deep.
STEP TWO: Place eggplant on an un-greased baking sheet. Cook/bake the eggplant whole at 370 degrees for about 45-50 minutes. Turn the eggplant about every 15 minutes.
STEP THREE: After 45 minutes remove let the eggplant and let cool on a rack for about 30 minutes -make sure the rack can drip onto a baking sheet or a plate or large bowl.
STEP FOUR: Peel the eggplant with your hands once cool (the peel should come over very easily).
STEP FIVE: Now you have to drain the eggplant over a collider, just let it drip for about 25 -30 minutes - you may need to get the water out so rotate the eggplant every 10 minutes - you will need to very gently squeeze it ensuring it is dripping.
STEP SIX: Place the peeled / drained eggplant in a food processor (dice it into quarters).
STEP SEVEN: Add a pinch and a half of the sea salt to the food processor.
STEP EIGHT: Add about 4-5 tablespoons of sunflower oil.
STEP NINE: Pulse the mixture slowly - about 15 pulses (maybe more depending on how large your eggplant is) in the food processor (you want it to remain slightly chunky not smooth).
STEP TEN: Transfer the mixture to a bowl (cannot be plastic) and place in the refrigerator of about an hour.
STEP ELEVEN: Enjoy with crackers - Erika's family traditionally serves the eggplant dip with Carr's crackers.
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