Grilled Eggplant with Feta, Turmeric-Basil Oil and Crispy Capers

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup olive oil
• ½ cup capers in brine, drained and patted dry with a towel
• 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo chili flake, or more if you like
• 4-6 eggplants, depending on size
• Salt 
• 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 15 big leaves of basil, roughly torn into about 4 pieces each
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 4 oz crumbled feta. A great alternative is 2 balls of burrata, drained from liquid
• Flaky salt (like Maldon)
• Lime wedges for serving

Step 1:

In a small saucepan or skillet, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium-high until it shimmers, about 1 minute. Meanwhile, dry the capers very well by wrapping them in paper towels or a clean dish towel and wringing out the moisture. (If there is too much moisture, the oil will sputter aggressively.) Line a plate with paper towels or a clean dish towel.

Step 2:

When the oil is ready, carefully drop the capers in and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until unfurled and golden. (Watch closely, as smaller capers will cook more quickly.) Remove the capers from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on the lined plate. They will crisp up further as they cool. Turn off the heat, but leave the pan of oil on the stove.

Step 3:

Preheat a gas grill or grill pan to medium high.

Toast the coriander seeds over medium low heat, just until fragrant, maybe 4 minutes. Crush the seeds in a mortar or in a spice grinder, transfer to a small bowl and add the chili flakes.

Cut the tops off of the eggplant, slice the eggplant into ½” disks. Lay the disks on a large cutting board or sheet pan and brush with olive oil, sprinkle the spices and salt evenly over the disks. Turn all of the disks over and repeat on the other side. When the grill is hot, working in batches, add the eggplant dishs in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes, pressing gently on the eggplant to encourage browning. Flip, reduce the heat to medium and cook the other side for another 3-4 minutes, until tender. Remove the eggplant from the pan and place them back on a tray to cool, you can pile the eggplant on top of each other to help it steam and cook all the way through. Continue cooking the remaining eggplant.

Step 4:

Turn the heat back on to medium low for the small pot of caper-infused oil. When it is warm, add the garlic slices and stir them as they gently cook, when they start to look golden around the edges, add the torn basil and cook for about 1 minute, until the basil is wilted. Turn off the heat, add the ground turmeric and pour the garlicky herb oil into a large bowl. Add the eggplant slices and gently coat them with the oil, let them marinate for at least 5 minutes. 

Step 5: 

Arrange the eggplant on a platter, make sure to scrape out all of the marinade on top of the eggplant. Break open the burrata balls over the eggplant with your hands and scatter the pieces around on top. Season the cheese with the flaky salt, and rain down the crispy capers over the platter. Serve with lime wedges.