Roasted Eggplant Dip with Whey + Herbs

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants, or 4 smaller Japanese eggplants
• 2 large yellow onions, peeled, finely sliced
• 7 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 T dried mint
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 1 t liquid saffron
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 1 c liquid kashk*
• 1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional)
• *kashk is whey -- a byproduct of curdled milk (buttermilk), and can be found in Iranian or Middle Eastern grocery stores

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Slice a few vertical cuts in your eggplants to let the steam out before placing them on a foil-lined cookie sheet and baking them in the oven for 30-40 min.
3. Remove from oven and let cool, then remove the skin, squeeze out the bitterness, and chop up the eggplants into small pieces.
4. In a skillet, heat oil and sauté onions until they become golden brown, add turmeric and stir. Add the garlic and mint, saute for an additional 5 minutes. Set some of it aside for garnish.
5. Add the chopped up eggplants, saffron, salt, and pepper.
6. Cook for 15 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, and mashing with the back of a wooden spoon as you stir.
7. Once the mixture is consistently stewy, pour 3/4 of the kashk over it and mix well. Keep the skillet on low heat for another 4-5 minutes, blending well.
8. Adjust the seasoning and transfer to a platter.
9. Drizzle the remaining kasha over the eggplant mixture, and garnish with the fried garlic, onion, and mint mixture that you had set aside.
10. Serve with warm pita bread, or over white basmati rice.
11. Can also be served room temp or cold. Enjoy!