Roasted Eggplant with Anchovies and Oregano

By Kath Dedon

Not only do I own Ottolenghi SIMPLE, Yotam Ottolenghi’s latest book, but I have an autographed copy! Carrie went to hear him speak last fall when his book tour brought him to Seattle, and she got a signed copy for me for my birthday! She knows me well.

The SIMPLE in the title is actually an acronym for the 6 different ways that Ottolenghi feels a recipe can be “simple”. They are:

Short on time – quick recipes

10 Ingredients or less

Make ahead

Pantry – recipes that use ingredients that most people keep on hand

Lazy – recipes like long-simmering braises or one-pot wonders

Easier than you think

Each recipe in the book is “simple” in at least one of these ways, and they’re identified with colorful letters right under the recipe titles.

I’m excited to try a lot of the recipes in Ottolenghi SIMPLE. Every recipe is accompanied by a gorgeous photo which really makes me want to get cooking! I have several of his other books and they’re all amazing, but I think I’m most excited about this one.

I have twice made this Roasted Eggplant with Anchovies and Oregano. It is so good! It’s identified as being  I  (10 Ingredients or less)  M  (Make ahead) and  P  (Using Pantry items). Simple!

This is a recipe that, indeed, can be made ahead of time and served at room temperature. When I’m entertaining, that is my favorite type of side dish!

I recommend that you give this Roasted Eggplant with Anchovies and Oregano a try. I made the full recipe for just the two of us and we enjoyed the leftovers the next day. I just pulled them out of the refrigerator to bring them to room temperature. Delicious!

Eggplant served with Porcupine Meatballs

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Roasted Eggplant with Anchovies and Oregano

(Adapted, barely, from Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe in Ottolenghi SIMPLE)

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(print the recipe)

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Serves 4 

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3 or 4 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds total weight) sliced into ¾-inch thick rounds

½ teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons olive oil, divided

6 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and finely chopped

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 small clove of garlic, crushed

1/8 teaspoon salt

About ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon oregano leaves

¼ cup Italian (flat-leaf) parsley leaves, roughly chopped

These 3 beauties weighed a total of about 2¼ pounds.

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1. Heat the oven to 450°.
2. Put the eggplant slices in a large bowl. Sprinkle the ½ teaspoon of salt over them and toss them with your hands to distribute the salt.
3. Line a large (21 x 15 x 1 in) baking sheet (or 2 smaller baking sheets) with parchment paper. Spread the eggplant slices out on the baking sheet. Measure out 2½ tablespoons of olive oil and brush all of it over the eggplant slices. Turn the slices over and brush another 2½ tablespoons of olive oil on the other side.

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My little OXO ¼-cup measuring cup was perfect for measure 2½ tablespoons of oil. The eggplant slices all fit on my large baking sheet.

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4. Roast the eggplant for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a bit.

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5. Mix together the chopped anchovies, vinegar, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a small bowl. Slowly pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the mixture while whisking until the ingredients are well combined. At this point the eggplant and dressing can be set aside at room temperature until you’re ready to serve.

6. When it’s time to serve, put the eggplant, oregano, and parsley in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the eggplant, toss gently and serve.

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