Tandoori Twister

Piadine Imbottiti di Melanzane al "Tandoori"

Tandoori Eggplant Wrap Sandwiches

Friday evening, next to nothing in the fridge... and about as much in my tummy from the feel of it... which is the way it usually is! But also as usual, I managed to match the few odds and ends that I had together and started to pull together an idea for a makeshift supper... it's amazing how a little hunger can help you get a lot more inventive all of a sudden!

As you can probably make out from the pictures, I had an eggplant, some lettuce, mini bell peppers, herbs, tortillas and yoghurt there. Sure, an Indian flat bread would have added a fake air of "authenticity"- but the tortilla allowed me to make my sandwich rolls just a little bit bigger... Good! Because I really was very, very hungry indeed!

To prepare the eggplant, I cut it into 4 decent slices. I then made criss-cross cuts into the eggplant slices, which would allow a.) the salt I was about to add, to penetrate and flavor the eggplant better, whilst b.) allowing it to cook much faster than would normally be the case. So, I sprinkled it with salt and let it sit for 30 minutes and rid itself of any bitterness, whilst I prepared the other ingredients...

To make 2 filling and fantastical wraps, I finely sliced one half of a head of lettuce, 2 mini bell peppers, 1 Spring onion, and a handful each of mint, cilantro and parsley which I chopped into a chiffonade (fine slices). Other ingredients were yogurt, lemon juice and Tandoori spice.

After 30 minutes or so of salting the eggplant, I gave it a little squeeze to wring out any excess moisture, then sprinkled it generously with Tandoori spice. I then took a sheet of aluminum foil, rubbed it with clarified butter, placed the eggplant slices onto it and folded it shut in a tight parcel. I popped it into the oven at 350° for 30 minutes, then unfolded it and inside, had lovely, flavorful and almost perfect eggplant slices for my sandwiches. I say "almost perfect", because I then drizzled it very lightly with honey and popped it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes- which gave it a light glaze, dried it out a little and gave a wonderful balance to the tangy spice and light bitter overtone... delicious!

I allowed it to cool and then assembled the wraps starting with lettuce, then the baked eggplant, followed by thinly sliced peppers and onion. I topped it with some yogurt which I had enriched with a little lemon juice, salt, pepper and sesame oil, a sprinkle of chili flakes and the finely chopped herbs.

And what can I say? The spicy, tangy flavor of the eggplant, with the mild, creamy yogurt and the refreshing herbs made this into a wonderful, healthy treat! No nasty, store-bought fatty dressings, spreads or sauces (filled with all kinds of badness!), no unnecessary frying, just great flavor and a fresh ingredients. That's what I like- and I hope you do too!