Pita Crisps with Eggplant Dip

More hors d'oeuvres coming your way....



Ingredients:


For the dip:

1 eggplant
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup parsley leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt


For the pita bread crisps:

3 pita breads
Olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper



Method:

Make the dip:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Place the whole eggplant in a baking dish and pierce the eggplant 2 or 3 times with the tip of a knife.

3. Place the garlic cloves on a small square of foil and splash them with a bit of oil; enclose the garlic in foil. Put the foil packet in the dish along side the eggplant and place them in the oven.

4. Bake until the garlic is soft when squeezed; about 35 minutes. Remove the garlic and let it cool in the foil. Continue to bake the eggplant until it is wrinkled, soft, and almost collapsed, about 25 minutes more. Let it cool in the pan and leave the oven on.

5. Cut the stem off the cooled eggplant and pull off and discard the skin. Chop the flesh and set it aside. Peel the garlic cloves and put them in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the parsley and pulse until it is finely chopped. Add the chopped eggplant, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil; pulse until just combined (do not puree). Taste the dip and add salt and more lemon juice and/or oil as needed. Pulse again until the mixture is almost smooth; it should have the texture of guacamole.


Make the pita bread crisps:

1. Cut the pitas in half and peel them apart to make quarters. Arrange the quarters on a work surface and brush them well with oil. Stir together the salt, paprika, and cayenne in a small ramekin or bowl and sprinkle them over the pita quarters.

2. Stack and cut the pita into wedges.

3. Spread the wedges on baking sheets and bake them until crisp and golden about 12 minutes.

4. Serve the dip in a bowl surrounded with the pita crisps.


Enjoy....



Note: This recipe was taken from the book:
Party Appetizers: Small Bites, Big Flavors