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Thursday, September 11
Grilled Eggplant with Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade
I don't know where I went wrong. Three years of high school French and one graduate school semester of reading French, and I can still barely string together an intelligible sentence. C'est terrible!
I have accepted the fact that a French pre-schooler could speak circles around me, but as long as I can say some words, like aubergine, I'm content.
Aubergine doesn't look or sound anything like its English counterpart "eggplant." But, oh, how I wish it did. Let's be honest, could there be a less appealing name than "eggplant"? I mean, it's not an egg or a plant. Plus, phonetically, it's just not pleasing; it's harsh and flat.
Aubergine, however, flows elegantly out of one's mouth. I daresay it's almost too attractive a word for the vegetable is signifies. (In botanical terms, an eggplant is actually a fruit, but it's cooked and eaten like a vegetable).
Fortunately I'm mature enough to look beyond such petty issues and appreciate eggplant's attributes. A heavy, firm, eggplant with a glossy purple-black skin borders on the regal. And its flesh, though just an unassuming off-white color, becomes enticingly rich and creamy when cooked. Like a chameleon, eggplant has the ability to transform itself: when grilled, it is appetizingly smoky flavored and tender; when fried, it is irresistibly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
My current favorite is Grilled Eggplant with Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade. (Here's how to make roasted red peppers.)
The wonderful charred flavor of the eggplant is only enhanced with a boldly flavorful tapenade of savory roasted red peppers, salty olives, and fragrant fresh herbs. Since the flavors of this tapenade improve with time, you can make it a day ahead, then bring it to room temperature before serving. It makes an ideal appetizer for a party since it's easy to assemble and makes an attractive presentation.
I'm bringing a big plate of my Grilled Eggplant with Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade to Susan's Blogiversary Party over at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy. I just know that girl is gonna be the life of the party!
Also, I'll be sharing some with dear Simona of Briciole who has chosen eggplants, melanzane, for the current round of Fresh Produce of the Month created by Marta of An Italian in the US. First aubergine, now melanzana. It's just too much.
Grilled Eggplant with Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade
Serves 8
Print recipe only here.
2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 16-20 slices)
enough olive oil for brushing each slice on both sides
1/2 cup finely chopped homemade roasted peppers (or bottled peppers)
1/2 cup finely chopped mixed olives (such as Kalamata and Cerignola)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 heaping tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs (such as basil, mint, oregano, and parsley)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt, to taste
4 tablespoons feta or goat cheese
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
additional herbs, for optional garnish
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Mix all of the tapenade ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. (This can be made a day ahead.)
Preheat a grill to high. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush olive oil on both sides of the eggplant slices. Grill the eggplant for about 7-8 minutes per side, or until grill marks form and the flesh becomes tender.
Place eggplant slices on a serving dish and top each with a dollop of tapenade. Sprinkle with cheese, toasted pine nuts, and additional herbs. Just before serving, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil.
Note: If you don't have a grill, then you can broil the eggplant slices in the oven instead.
You might also like these other party-friendly dishes:
Chipotle Barbecue Bean and Corn Salad
Spinach, Nutmeg, and Ricotta Pie
Fresh Pineapple, Banana, and Pistachio Cake with Rum Icing
Almond Biscotti
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43 comments:
How delicious! I just blogged a great eggplant dip. Tis the season.
- September 11, 2008 at 11:59 AM
- Kristen said...
Oh I so understand you about French... I've been allergic to it since is spurned it for German in high school. I finally had to learn it when I realized that a good portion of the letters I needed to read for my dissertation were in 19th-century French. I still can't speak it, but I can read it and my eyes always get excited when they run across "aubergine"!
- September 11, 2008 at 12:03 PM
Hmmm. I'm cooking for my book club and just happen to have ALL the ingredients/close proximity -- hmm, hmm, hmm. It must be aubergine destiny --
- September 11, 2008 at 12:17 PM
- MyKitchenInHalfCups said...
Once I learned aubergine, eggplant just doesn't do it for me.
How wonderful to make this ahead! Aubergine seems to be in the air or at least on the blogs. I just bought some as well ;)
- September 11, 2008 at 1:26 PM
- Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...
Can we start a movement to ban the word "eggplant"? Aubergines for everyone!
- September 11, 2008 at 2:45 PM
- Unknown said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- September 11, 2008 at 3:29 PM
- Unknown said...
hmmm, i didn't know that about aubergine! guess my french didn't get very far either :) delish dish!!
- September 11, 2008 at 3:30 PM
- Peter G | Souvlaki For The Soul said...
Call it whatever you will but it's delicious when prepared correctly. Love the peppers and olives in this combo Susan too!
- September 11, 2008 at 3:35 PM
After 3 years of high-school spanish, I was anxious to try something different and decided to study French in college. Halfway through my first semester of French, my professor looked at me curiously during a class when I responded to her in my version of French.
She said, "Are you from Spain?" ...
I sheepishly replied, "no".
Surprised, she remarked, "Oh, but you pronounce everything with a Spanish accent!". I didn't receive an A. Merde!
C'est la vie -- I still appreciate a delicious Aubergine - delicious looking as always!
- September 11, 2008 at 4:29 PM
- Darius T. Williams said...
You do know I love you, right? But um...I can't mess around with eggplant...at all. But great pics though.
- September 11, 2008 at 4:30 PM
ACtually, I think people in the United Kingdom do call eggplant "aubergine". That makes the word "English" too, the, doesn't?
- September 11, 2008 at 5:31 PM
- eatingclubvancouver_js said...
I've been seeing many eggplant recipes lately. This is one of the most elegant, as befitting the aubergine. Great stuff!
- September 11, 2008 at 6:00 PM
- La Cuisine d'Helene said...
Anything you cook, event eggplants looks so good when it's on your blog.
- September 11, 2008 at 6:10 PM
- Annie said...
Very nice presentation!
Don't feel bad about the French, I too took 4 years of Spanish in High School and 1 year in College and I can just about answer the simple question of how are you?
It's sad that if you don't use it- you do lose it.
That's why it so important to keep using your culinary skills, you wouldn't want to lose those, (although I seriously doubt YOU would) :)
- September 11, 2008 at 6:32 PM
- Manggy said...
I know! Would you even consider naming a restaurant "Eggplant?" Ha ha ha. Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of eggplant but when paired with roasted red peppers, it's bound to be a treat! Yum! :)
- September 11, 2008 at 6:36 PM
Gotta love that smoky flavor from grilled eggplants. I'd probably get weird looks if I say "aubergine out loud."
- September 11, 2008 at 8:32 PM
- Rosa's Yummy Yums said...
A flavorful recipe! Grilled eggplant tastes so great! Wonderful!
- September 11, 2008 at 10:22 PM
- Simona Carini said...
I love this recipe! It contains all ingredients that I like in a delightful combination. Thank you so much, Susan.
- September 11, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Well, it IS a plant (or part of one), and it's kinda egg shaped.
In the UK they typically use the French word 'aubergine' and they also call zucchini 'courgettes' and snow peas 'mange tout'.
Personally I prefer the Italian 'melanzane'. Makes sense to me since the Italians do so many wonderful things with eggplant and we (Australians and I think Americans also) use their term for 'zucchini'.
But, really, an eggplant by any other name would taste as good.
- September 11, 2008 at 11:10 PM
- Andreas said...
Amusingly, the OED claims that aubergine comes from the Spanish word for apricot! I can't imagine that makes any more sense than eggplant (especially if you've seen the old heirloom varieties), but I must agree the French is prettier.
As for my high-school-French culinary leftovers, I think pamplemousse every time I see a grapefruit :)
- September 11, 2008 at 11:33 PM
The Brits do say aubergine, but no matter what you call them I love them! This looks like the perfect antipasto for a dinner party!
- September 12, 2008 at 1:27 AM
- Susan @ SGCC said...
These look marvelous, Susan! Thank you so much for sending them over. I know they'll be a big hit!
- September 12, 2008 at 7:36 AM
- Deborah said...
Unfortunately, eggplant is one vegetable (fruit?) that is not used too often in my house. Maybe this recipe will have to remedy that!
- September 12, 2008 at 8:19 AM
- Pip said...
I just love them, whatever their name is! With peppers and olives sound really delicious! :P
- September 12, 2008 at 9:18 AM
- Stacey Snacks said...
Hi Susan,
As you know, I am an aubergine fanatic! Your appetizer looks beautiful, as always. Reminds me of the caponata that I made last week.
I am blogging from France, but not much eggplant around.....mostly canard and zucchini!
- September 12, 2008 at 9:36 AM
- Terry at Blue Kitchen said...
Beautiful photos and charming story, as always, Susan! I agree that aubergine is a much lovelier word than eggplant. I've only recently come to terms with this vegetable, er, fruit. Partly through eating its Asian kin in various dishes Chinatown and partly through finally getting around to grilling it.
On the topic of food names, I'm a big fan of calling arugula rocket.
- September 12, 2008 at 9:57 AM
Totally delicious Susan. Grilled eggplant (sorry aubergine) is the best. Nice to see a great preparation especially when bad names happen to good produce!
- September 12, 2008 at 10:27 AM
- Patricia Scarpin said...
I prefer "aubergine" to "eggplant", too, also because it is similar in sound to the word in Portuguese (beringela).
I love this dish, Susan!
- September 12, 2008 at 10:45 AM
- thepassionatecook said...
stunning pictures and a recipe i will definitely try! sounds absolutely delicious! in austrian, we call aubergines "melanzani" from the italian. also much better than eggplant. we have tons of weird names for food in our dialect, though, calling tomatoes paradeiser (as in "from paradise") and some people call strawberries pineapples...
- September 12, 2008 at 11:58 AM
- Peter M said...
Greeks love eggplant, love peppers, a little heat so...'c'est non-brainer" that I would eat this up.
- September 12, 2008 at 12:36 PM
- Heather said...
mmm i love eggplant, too! when i lived in italy, my cousin would always make this baked dish that was a lot like eggplant parm except it also had layers of fennel. it tasted sooo good together! i always soak my ep in some salt water to remove some of the bitterness, but other than that, this sounds exactly like something i would eat... and eat... and eat... and eat ;)
- September 12, 2008 at 7:16 PM
- Lori Lynn said...
I am a huge fan of grilled eggplant. Your roasted red pepper addition puts it over the top.
Liked your bit on the English pronunciation. Cute Susan!
- September 13, 2008 at 9:55 AM
- Prudy said...
This one's a stunner!
- September 13, 2008 at 10:54 AM
- Scott at Real Epicurean said...
I didn't have aubergine in quite a while now. No idea why not, so I best change that!
- September 13, 2008 at 11:40 AM
- RecipeGirl said...
A very pretty treat!
- September 13, 2008 at 7:31 PM
I agree with you that the aubergine definitely takes strong flavours well. I love the idea of the pepper tapenade on top. I also had no idea that the aubergine is actually a fruit.
- September 14, 2008 at 5:41 AM
- Cynthia said...
Like I was saying to Susan (Well Seasoned Cook), I can't seem to eat eggplant until it has been fire-roasted. Dunno why :(
- September 14, 2008 at 4:31 PM
- Mike of Mike's Table said...
Aubergine sounds so much better. I don't cook with it nearly often enough and my few interactions with it have been somewhat clumsy. I absolutely love this presentation though--it looks very lively and flavorful.
- September 14, 2008 at 8:14 PM
- Unknown said...
I made these on Friday and they were so incredibly good. My husband is already asking when we are going to have them again. Thanks so much for this recipe. (It was easy too.)
- September 15, 2008 at 10:25 AM
- Jeanne said...
You are right - there definitely IS somethign regal about a shiny, purple aubergine... And the transformation when you roast them is just crazy. I really must try this :)
- September 16, 2008 at 7:11 AM
- Proud Italian Cook said...
I would never be tired of eating this! This is my kind of food!! I'll be sure to gobble them up at the party!
- September 16, 2008 at 2:30 PM
- Brilynn said...
I agree, aubergine sounds so much more elegant than eggplant. I was in French Immersion all the way through to the end of high school so I'm somewhat fluent but I'd like to be able to speak more languages. I tried to pick up Spanish but I think I have to be submerged in the language somewhere to actually learn it.
- September 17, 2008 at 2:57 PM
Aubergine is a hot favorite here in India too. We've done a Recipe on Aubergine Masala in 10 steps
- April 28, 2012 at 10:20 PM


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Today Nokia announced the Lumia 620, a range of colorful handsets running Windows Phone 8 that should have an unsubsidized cost of around $249. The phones will be released in the first quarter of 2013, initially in Asian and African markets and later in Europe and South America.
The specs are modest: 3.8-inch 800×480 screen, dual core 1GHz Snapdragon S4 with 512MB RAM, 5 megapixel rear camera/VGA front camera, 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC, Bluetooth 3, GPS/GLONASS, 8GB of internal storage, a microSD slot, in a range of brightly colored interchangeable plastic cases, 11mm thick and weighing 127g.
The 620 will be available in the four process colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) and white, and to these Nokia is adding two new colors: lime green and orange. These two colors use a new process Nokia calls "Dual Shot" in which two colors are layered on top of each other, which apparently creates "depth effects" and "textures." The lime green covers are a "dual shot" of yellow and cyan; orange, one assumes, is yellow and red.
The Lumia 620 isn't Nokia's only low-cost Windows Phone play. First announced in October, the Lumia 510 went on sale in India yesterday. Rs. 10,499 (about $193) will get you a 4-inch 800×480 screen, a single core Snapdragon S1 processor running at an unspecified clock speed with 256MB RAM, 5 megapixel real/VGA front cameras, 4GB internal storage, 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz only, no 5GHz), Bluetooth 2.1 (not 3.0 or 4.0), and GPS (but no GLONASS)—running not Windows Phone 8, but rather Windows Phone 7.5.
The 510 range is available in red, yellow, cyan, white, and black.
Spec-wise, the 620 and 510 are about as low as Nokia can go when it comes to Windows Phone devices. The guts of the Lumia 510 are very mundane indeed. The problem for Nokia and Microsoft alike is that Android phones go lower still. For example, Huawei has just released an Android 4.0 handset in China called the T8830. Like the 510, it has a 4-inch 800×480 screen. It pairs this with a dual core 1GHz Cortex A9 processor (believed to be the Mediatek MT6517), 512MB RAM, and a 3.2 megapixel rear-facing camera. The cost appears to be about $110—a little over half the price of the Lumia 510.
Neither the Huawei phone nor the Lumia 510 run the current operating system version (though the Lumia is likely to be upgradable to Windows Phone 7.8, at least), but Android 4.0 is a lot closer to Android 4.2 than Windows Phone 7.5 and 7.8 are to Windows Phone 8.
Nokia needs cheap, low-end phones to be able to compete in the fast-growing African and Asian markets but at the moment, Windows Phone still can't match Android's pricing, leaving the Finnish company forced to stick with S40 (under the "Asha" brand) in these markets—despite how uncompetitive it is. And rather than improving the situation, Windows Phone 8 seems to have made the problem even worse, as it makes the bar for hardware specs even higher. $249 is a cheap smartphone in Western markets, but far too much to be competitive in emerging ones.
That's not to say that there's no place for more expensive phones in these markets. Nokia has also launched a variant of the Lumia 920 in China called the Lumia 920T. Nokia hasn't published a full spec for the 920T, but it's broadly similar to the 920: 4.5-inch, 1280×768 screen, Qi wireless charging, and so on and so forth. It has some important differences, however. It supports China's TD-SCDMA phone technology.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus system-on-chip used in the regular 920 doesn't support TD-SCDMA. To do that, Nokia has had to switch to the Snapdragon S4 Pro, and while the CPU portion is very similar to the S4 Plus, the GPU isn't—it's quite a bit faster.
As a result of this, China probably has the fastest, most powerful Windows Phone 8 device that money can buy.
Update: Although China Mobile claimed prior to the 920T's launch that it used a Snapdragon S4 Pro MSM8960T system-on-chip with the faster GPU, it appears that the company was in error, and that the actual handsets use the S4 Plus-class 8260A, meaning that their GPU is the same after all.
Listing image by Nokia

subset: commoncrawl


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Tinariwen Announce North American Live Dates
World renowned North African band Tinariwen will bring their electrifying and hypnotic guitar sound to venues across North America in 2014 when the group tours in support of their new album Emmaar which arrives in stores this February 11th.
Included in the dates is the band's first ever appearance at the SXSW Festival. Emmaar is the awaited follow up to Tinariwen's acclaimed 2011 release Tassili which was recorded in the Algerian desert with an esteemed cadre of musicians including Wilco's Nels Cline and TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone – the album won a Grammy for Best World Music.
Due to political instability in their homeland, Tinariwen recorded Emmaar in another desert: Joshua Tree, California. Created over three weeks in the region known for spaced-out rock 'n' roll and psychedelic cowboy folk, the new album showcases an organic feel from the rolling hand drums and meandering guitars of album opener "Toumast Tincha" chants to the galloping beats of the forward-marching "Chaghaybou." "We were not in a proper studio or outside in the desert like Tassili," Ag Leche says, "we built a studio in a big house in Joshua Tree. Everybody in the same room, with no separation. We wanted something which sounded natural and live."
Along with the original members who founded the group in the 1980s (vocalists and guitarists Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, and Alhassane Ag Touhami) and the younger generation who grew up listening to the band and joined in the 1990s (multi-instrumentalist Eyadou Ag Leche, guitarist Elaga Ag Hamid, and percussionist Said Ag Ayad), a group of American musicians appear on the album. Accompanied by Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, Matt Sweeney from Chavez, Nashville fiddler Fats Kaplin, and poet Saul Williams, Emmaar (mixed by Vance Powell (Jack White, The Dead Weather) is a richly layered listen solidified by atmospheric textures and gritty guitar-work.
Tinariwen Tour Dates
March 13, 2014 Austin, TX SXSW
March 18, 2014 Nashville, TN The Hight Watt
March 19, 2014 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre
March 20, 2014 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
March 21, 2014 Philadelphia, PA Prince Music Theater
March 22, 2014 Washington, DC Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
March 23, 2014 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Bowl
March 24, 2014 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Bowl
March 25,2014 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
March 26, 2014 Ridgefield, CT The Ridgefield Playhouse
March 27, 2014 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall
March 28, 2014 Portland, ME Port City Music Hall
April 1, 2014 Pittsburgh, PA Warhol's Entrance Space
April 2, 2014 Kent, OH The Kent Stage
April 4, 2014 Nelsonville, OH Stuart's Opera House
April 5, 2014 Chicago, IL City Winery
April 6, 2014 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center
April 8, 2014 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
April 9, 2014 St. Louis, MO Old Rock House
April 11, 2014 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
April 12, 2014 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
April 14, 2014 Seattle, WA Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall
April 15, 2014 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
April 17, 2014 Los Angeles, CA The Belasco Theater
April 18, 2014 Grass Valley, CA The Center For The Arts
April 19. 2014 San Francisco, CA The Nourse Theater
April 21, 2014 Phoenix, AZ MIM Music Theater
April 22, 2014 El Prado, NM Taos Mesa Brewing
April 24, 2014 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
April 25, 2014 Lafayette, LA Festival International de Louisiane
April 26, 2014 Lafayette, LA Festival International de Louisiane