Grilled Eggplants with Honey and Spices

I´ve been sick for five days now, a pharyngitis that developed I don´t know where, but it´s making myself miserable with fever, sore throat and all those annoying little extras that come with house confinement. All mixed together with a humid dose of winter and the occasional rain, let´s say I´m not in my sunniest mood.

I have a dinner with my friends to prepare for next week, but can`t even get myself interested in looking for a few new recipes to make. The list of ideas is getting shorter by the minute; it started with a bit of everything, which is the way I like to do it. 
I haven´t had them over for a long time, not once since moving into the place where I live now. So my vision is of great food, flowers, music, a table with a display of gorgeous dishes, all very colorful and tasty, the refrigerator brimming with even more inviting things to eat… you get it right?

Well, now, as I write this, my list has been reduced to five recipes, all of which I can do with my eyes bandaged. And I´m just hoping for a tidy place. Let´s hope things get sunnier these next few days. 

Meanwhile, I leave you with a super recipe for spiced eggplants. Super because it´s so fast and tasty, you´ll probably want to make it often. It´s pretty much in the same line as this fennel one, a trend in my kitchen that I don´t feel will disappear soon. My love for eggplant is well documented in this blog, and with honey and spices, it really is my new way of cooking some vegetables. Roasting and caramelizing, those two little, but extremely flavorful words, are changing many of my culinary ideas.

GRILLED EGGPLANTS WITH HONEY AND SPICES

barely adapted from Dolli Irigoyen, via Revista La Nacion

1 ½ pounds (700g) eggplant

1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

3 Tbs honey

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3 Tbs fresh coriander, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 Tbs red wine vinegar

1 cup natural yogurt, seasoned with salt and pepper

  

Slice eggplants in medium thick rounds.

Crush or grind coriander and cumin seeds. I do it with a mortar and pestle.

Mix oil, garlic, honey, coriander and cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper in a small saucepan. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Reserve.

Put eggplant slices in a tray; brush both sides with honey spice mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat grill or skillet and cook eggplant rounds until golden, about 2 minutes per side. When you turn them brush with any remaining honey mixture and continue cooking.

Transfer to a serving platter and add the vinegar evenly over rounds. 

Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve at room tº with natural yogurt on the side.