peaceful co-existence.

Well, my Middle Eastern "Bridge to Peace" dinner on Sunday was, if I do say so myself, surprisingly excellent. I'd make it all again. Here's one of the recipes:

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borani-e bademjan (persian/iranian eggplant and yogurt dip)

2 large eggplants (unless you're in America, then 2 medium eggplants)
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup plain yogurt, drained (I used whole-milk Turkish)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pinch salt, or to taste
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

Preheat oven to 200C. Wash eggplants and stick all over with a fork to prevent bursting. Place whole eggplants on rack and bake for 45 minutes. They might leak, so you may want foil under them. Remove eggplant from oven, cool, peel, dice flesh, and mash it. Add olive oil, yogurt, crushed garlic, and chopped mint. Salt to taste, then add lemon juice to taste.

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