Chickpea Bulgur Salad

1 cup medium-ground bulgur
2 garlic cloves, crushed
juice of 2 1/2- 3 lemons
salt and pepper
7 T extra virgin olive oil
one 14-ounce can of chickpeas, drained
3 cups loosely packed chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup loosely packed finely chopped mint leaves

In a medium saucepan, bring bulgur and 1 1/2 cups of water to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Add all other ingredients to bulgur and stir together.

Serves 6.

My First Baba Ganoush

turned out pretty good. It was kind of a guided experiment. I started by referring to recipe but improvised a little.

8 baby eggplants
1 clove garlic
2 T tahini
juice of 3 lemons
2 T olive oil
dash of salt

First I roasted the eggplants in the oven at 400 degrees for 35 minutes, pricking them with a knife before putting them in whole on a baking sheet. After about 35 minutes, their skins were wrinkled and the eggplant was starting to get fragrant. They were then removed from the oven and allowed to cool.

After they were cool, I peeled them and squeezed them between some paper towels to get rid of some of the excess water. Then into a blender with the rest of the ingredients and that was it. It yielded a little less than 2 cups.

Eggplants with Tomatoes and Chickpeas / Moussaka'a Menazzaleh

I haven't cooked with eggplant much since previous endeavors have risked being rubbery and bitter, but this one was tasty right out of the pan- and reheated all week long with a little toasted pita and hummus for lunch.
Also from the Arabesque cookbook, though the recipe called for pomegranate molasses and I didn't have any, but simmered it instead in a cup or so of pomegranate juice. Also, I only had one fresh tomato on hand whereas the recipe called for a pound.

2 eggplants
evoo
salt
4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 tomato
1 t sugar
black pepper
1 cup pomegranate juice
one 14-ounce can of chickpeas, drained
1/8 c chopped parsley

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and then into 1/2 inch slices. Brush them generously with oil, sprinkle lightly with salt, and roast them in a 400 degrees oven for 15 minutes, turning once. They do not need to be cooked through as they will be stewed further in the sauce.

In a large saucepan, heat the garlic in 1 T olive oil for a few seconds, until it begins to color. Add the tomato(es) and squash them gently in the pan. Add the sugar, salt, and black pepper and cook for a few minutes. Add the pomegranate juice, chickpeas and eggplant and simmer for 30 minutes, or until eggplant is very soft.

Add parsley before serving.