Back in February I took a very well timed vacation to Phoenix (KC had just gotten 20+ inches of snow) to hang out with two of my best friends from high school. Unfortunately like most long distance relationships you never get enough time while you are there and the time between visits is always too long. Fortunately these are the type of friendships that you can pick right up as if you’d just seen them the day before.
Being that it had been so long I really wanted to prepare at least one big meal together while I was there and the sunny weather naturally made grilling the only option. Big thanks to my friend Barry for handling the grilling duties while I did the rest. As you can see from the pictures he did an excellent job with it. I ended up cooking the eggplant in the oven due to time constraints (a.k.a. an afternoon nap that went long) so if you don’t feel like grilling it you can do that. There is something amazing about grilled eggplant though so if you have the option I would go that way.
This recipe is not really based on anything else except for borrowing a few spice combinations from other Moroccan recipes I have made in the past. If you have made any of the other salad recipes on this site you can probably start to see the underlying pattern that they follow so should make this a snap if you’ve already made one before.
Finally if you have a friend named Barry that makes delicious home brew beer that makes for an excellent pairing with this dish.
Serves: 4-6
Start the grill. Cut the egg plant into 1/4 inch lengthwise pieces and lightly coat with EVOO, salt, and pepper, set aside. Lay the lamb on a plate and lightly sprinkle with salt+pepper. Depending on your grill setup you may be able to start grilling the eggplant while you prepare the rest of the recipe, for the first time though its probably easiest to finish prepping first.
Dice green onions[1] and bell peppers[2] and place in small container along with halved cherry tomatoes. Remove stems from kale[3], wash, and tear into bite size pieces (approximately an inch in diameter).
To a blender/food processor add 1/2 cup EVOO, 1/4 cup of water, juice of 1 lemon (optional), garbanzo beans (optional), paprika, cumin, finely chopped garlic cloves[4], and a pinch of salt+pepper. Blend on high until all ingredients are combined then pour into small jar.
After eggplant and lamb are finished grilling dice eggplant into bite sized chunks set aside. Cut the lamb into 1/4 inch slices. Combine kale with 1/4 of the dressing and gently mix. Finely chop mint leaves [5] and place in small bowl or plate.
Serve by placing lamb next to base of kale and then add other ingredients. If some servings will be saved for leftovers refrigerate in containers of the following: lamb, eggplant, onion+peppers+tomato, kale, mint, and dressing in jar.
[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QGWWGnyDs8
[2] http://www.ehow.com/video_2346573_dice-bell-pepper.html
[3] http://youtu.be/l5ALIVc-oqs?t=37s
[4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOTVQIBQDOI
[5] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuH0Z1G5g2M
