I was excited to see an assortment of new cookbooks near the tree at my brother’s house when we arrived on Christmas day. Cookbooks are pretty much the only book that I still purchase in hard copy and it’s always much more fun to peruse them in person before making a purchase.
One of these books was Nargisse Benkabbou’s Casablanca: My Moroccan Food. This book purchase was inspired by Geoff and his family’s trip to Morocco earlier in 2022. Ed and I love Moroccan food so it didn’t take much for me to decide to order a copy for us. I’m sure that I will post additional recipes from this book in the future.
I learned from reading the book’s introduction that Nargisse Benkabbou was born and raised in Belgium although her family’s roots are in Morocco. Ed questioned the addition of the mozzarella cheese given that it’s not very Moroccan. I agreed as I don’t associate cheese with Moroccan cooking either. Benkabbou explains “I also love mixing Moroccan flavors with Western dishes; I think fusion food reflects the world and age we live in, and I find it immensely comforting and incredibly tasty.”
We enjoy eggplant and are always looking for new ways to cook it so this recipe caught my attention. Chermoula is a marinade and sauce used in North African cooking. It is similar to chimichurri which is used in Latin American cooking. Chermoula was originally used to flavor fish or seafood, but can also be used with meats and vegetables. Benkabbou refers to this version as a ‘sweet chermoula’ since it contains honey.
Once the chermoula is mixed, this dish comes together quite quickly. Just cut the eggplant in half, spread some chermoula over it and bake it in the oven. When the eggplant is soft, top it with mozzarella and pine nuts and put it back in the oven for a few minutes.
I served this as a side dish (half an eggplant per person) to accompany Moroccan-inspired shrimp (tossed in ras el hanout, cilantro, honey, lemon juice and olive oil). It would also make a good vegetarian main dish – in that case, I’d recommend a whole eggplant per person.
P.S. Thank you to Spenser V, for the vegan tip. He made this without the mozzeralla and a bit more chermoula (don’t skip the pine nuts). He described it as “absolutely divine.”
| Eggplant with Chermoula, Mozzarella and Pine Nuts | | Print |
- 1 large eggplant
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1-1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3 ounces mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
- 1-1/2 tablespoons pine nuts
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Select a baking dish that will hold the eggplant upright to ensure most of the chermoula sauce remains on the top of the cut side of the eggplant. Line the pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, honey, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, cumin and Kosher salt until smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Make a few diagonal cuts in the flesh of each half, avoiding piercing the skin. This technique allows the eggplant to cook faster and absorb the chermoula.
- Place each eggplant half in the prepared baking dish. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the chermoula over the cut side of each eggplant half. (Reserve the remaining chermoula.)
- Roast eggplant for about 35 to 45 minutes or until they are just cooked. You should be able to easily pierce the eggplant flesh with a fork or knife.
- Remove eggplant from the oven. Spread any remaining chermoula on the eggplant halves. Then top each eggplant half with half of the slices of mozzarella and top with half of the pine nuts.
- Roast eggplant for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese is nicely melted.
- Serve immediately.
* You can make this vegan by skipping the mozzeralla cheese and adding a bit more chermoula. Don't skip the pine nuts.
Source: Adapted from Nargisse Benkabbou’s Casablanca: My Moroccan Food (2018)
This looks delightful! I, too, am a sucker for Moroccan cuisine as the flavors, textures, and full experience always fuel my body and soul. I’m going to have to try a vegan adaptation of this dish, perhaps doubling up in the Chermoula in lieu of the mozz. Can’t wait! Thank you, Nicole!
Spenser – Thank you! I’m with you – anything Moroccan makes me happy.
I was just looking at Nargisse’s book this morning, as we are planning our trip to Morocco this spring. While the recipes do not really resemble what we will find in Morocco, it’s really fun to see what she’s doing with them. I hadn’t come across this recipe, yet, but I will be making it!
David – What a small world! I can’t wait to see what wonderful food you will find in Morocco.