Roasted Eggplant Tacos
WHAT YOU NEED
- For the Roasted Tomato Salsa:
- 8 roma tomatoes
- 1 serrano pepper, de-stemmed
- 1 jalapeño, de-stemmed
- ½ red onion, cut in half
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- salt to taste
- For the Eggplant Tacos:
- 2 lbs. baby or Japanese eggplants, about 3 inches long
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt and crushed black pepper to taste
- 8-9 fresh thyme sprigs
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- ½ pound Cacique Panela, cut into 4- or 5-inch by ½ inch pieces, or 8 pieces
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- 1 cup Cacique Queso Fresco
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 cup Italian parsley leaves, torn
- Juice of a lemon
HOW TO MAKE IT
- For the Roasted Tomato Salsa: Over a fire on your outdoor grill or directly on the stovetop, roast the tomatoes until they’re black on one side. Turn using tongs to roast evenly and add the serrano peppers, jalapeño peppers and onion to the flame. The tomatoes should turn very black, almost to the point where they’re getting grey. The peppers and onions should be somewhat charred. In a food processor, add the tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic cloves, and vinegar. Pulse. Keep it chunky and leave the seeds in there. Season to taste with salt.
- For the Eggplant Tacos: Preheat oven to 375º F. Remove stems from eggplants and cut in half lengthwise. Season with salt generously and let stand, cut side up, for 10 minutes until the bitterness goes away. Wipe off moisture with a paper towel.
- Brush the eggplants with a liberal amount of olive oil — the eggplants soak it right up when they’re roasting — and lay in a roasting pan cut side up. Sprinkle with more salt and thyme, black pepper, and garlic.
- Roast eggplants for about 20 minutes, uncovered, until cooked through. Discard garlic and thyme and set aside. Leave the oven on.
- In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the eggplants, cut side down, until golden brown. Set aside in cast iron skillet so they stay hot.
- In a non-stick pan, melt another tablespoon of butter. Add the Cacique Panela and cook until golden brown.
- Please hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes in the oven at 375º F. Give them a good shake half way through. Remove from the oven and scrape them into a food processor. Pulse the food processor once or twice — or, you can use the back of your knife to crush the nuts on a cutting board.
- To assemble, place one piece of browned Cacique Panela cheese on each tortilla, add 3-4 pieces of eggplant pieces, tomato chile, hazelnuts and parsley. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and crumbled Cacique Queso Fresco.
