Eggplant Gazpacho

Ingredients

• 1 Japanese eggplant (5 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small onion (5 ounces), small dice
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in 2
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (can be more if you like more cumin)
• 1/2 cup lowfat yogurt
• 4 tablespoons tahini
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1 cup tomato water, recipe follows
• Salt
• Pepper
• Few drops hot sauce
• Carrot or other vegetable, cut in 1/2-inch cubes, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake eggplant on a small sheet tray for 35 minutes. After cooked, cut in 1/2, scrape out the flesh and place in a small bowl.

In a small pan over medium heat, add olive oil and onion. Saute onion until just starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add 2 large pieces of garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes and add cumin. Cook 5 minutes more. Remove from heat. Combine onion and cooked eggplant in a blender or food processor. Add lowfat yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, tomato water, salt, pepper, and a few drops of hot sauce. Blend until smooth. Strain and adjust seasoning.

Place in a container, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Tomato Water:

• 2 pounds tomatoes (any type)

Place tomatoes in food processor or blender and puree. Place cheesecloth into a colander over a bowl. Pour tomato liquid into cheesecloth. Place in the refrigerator and let tomatoes drip overnight. Remove the tomato water from the bowl and reduce it by half over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Store in covered in the refrigerator. Remove solids from the cheesecloth and reserve for another use.

To Serve:

Remove gazpacho from refrigerator. Take a vegetable of your choice such as carrots and steam or saute until cooked. You can use various vegetables if you desire. Place 2 tablespoons of diced, steamed vegetables at the bottom of the bowl. Pour in the gazpacho and serve with Beet Chips, if desired, on the side (see Duck Beets recipe).

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.