It’s funny how our tastebuds change as we age.  Not too long ago, eggplant was on my shortlist of foods I didn’t like, now it seems I can’t get enough of it. One day I looked at the plate of baba ganoush my friend had ordered and it just clicked, “I’m going to like eggplant now!” The same thing happened with onions, black licorice, and avocados. One minute I hated it, the next I suddenly can’t get enough of it. There’s no gray area either, I don’t ease these new ‘likes’ into my diet, I go whole hog. The first time I ate raw onions I didn’t just squirrel them into a salad, no, I made an onion sandwich! Crazy, I know.

Now that eggplant is on my radar I find that I’m consistently searching for new, unique ways to prepare and satiate my addiction. I recently discovered this delicious Moorish dish, Badenjan – a creamy smokey dip with deep notes of saffron balanced by fresh mint – and in two weeks I’ve made it twice. Both times I’ve prepared it as a condiment of sorts to our main dish. The first time, to accompany aromatic lamb meatballs (filled with garlic, onions and mint), the second time an addition to a Moroccan-style grilled chicken.  The perfect addition to both meals. I’m telling you, this is some serious eggplant goodness.

Click below for the recipe:

Possibly Related Posts:

• Beets and Bubbles
• Unexpectedly Great Food and Wine Pairings: Champagne and…Salad?!?
• Beyond soup: 5 uses for miso
• Chef Q & A with Alex Pitts
• 10 simple recipes everyone should know

One of the easiest and most flavorful appetizers you can make is olive tapenade. The olive tapenade that is common on appetizer menus today does not often reflect the classic Provencal dish from which the name applies. Tapenade comes from the word tapeno, which is French for caper. Besides olives, classic tapenade contains anchovies, capers and lemon juice and it is served as a spread for toasted baguette slices.   In America, most people think of olive tapenade as a puree of strongly flavored kalamata olives, olive oil, garlic and herbs.  Regardless of its translation, tapenade is now a word that is attached to many dips that don’t contain capers or even olives.  Whichever recipe you choose to make, olive tapenade is great for entertaining in hot weather  since it doesn’t require cooking and since olives are jarred, olive tapenade is a great year-round dip to make. It’s great for sandwiches, used as a pizza sauce or simply as a dip for a veggie tray.

Here is a list of four tapenade recipes we like on Foodista.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Food Film Festival
• Foodista Gets A Face Lift!
• Marination Mobile Keeps on Truckin
• Happy Peanut Butter Lovers Day!
• Knocking Back Moonshine with Max Watman