Mamzana

Ingredients:

For the dish:

1 or 2 eggplants, roasted and chopped
1 red pepper, roasted and diced
1 fresh onion, chopped
1 large tomato, diced or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, in halves
1-2 cubanelle pepper, diced
2-3 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

1-2 garlic cloves, smashed with salt
1 cup yogurt, room temperature

Garnish:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. hot red Fresno chile, stemmed and chopped

Instructions:

Roasted Eggplant:

Before putting the eggplant in the oven, make holes on it with a fork so that it will soften and cook better. Then place the eggplant on an oven tray and roast it for about 35 minutes on broil. Then peel it, and remove any of the hard seeds and place the eggplant in 2 cups of water with 1/2 Tbsp. of lemon juice to prevent from turning a dark color. Leave it in for about 5 minutes. After draining, cut it into small pieces with a knife. Alternatively, you can barbecue it until softened.

Roasted Red Pepper:

Cut off the tops of the red peppers and discard the seeds. Cut each pepper in half and set in the the oven to broil (grill), and heat it up. Place the red peppers on an oven tray (inside facing down) and place in the oven. Roast them for about 15 minutes. Leave them in a paper or plastic bag for about 10 minutes to peel off the skin easily. Alternatively, you can barbecue it until softened. Just place the red peppers out side facing down on the barbecue.

Assembly and garnish:

Place the roasted eggplants on a serving plate. Arrange the roasted red peppers, fresh onions, tomatoes, cubanelle peppers and parsley on top. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Add the yogurt sauce on top.

Heat up the olive oil in a small skillet and add the red Fresno chiles. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Pour it over the dish when you see it start bubbling.

Recipe from Binnurs Turkish Cookbook, July 2006.