Foodie excerpt - Chapter 15. Resolve is in all of us, whether we know it or not.
The three associates arrived at Vee’s house to be greeted by a true feast; the large dining table was covered in different dishes and drinks, and a group of humans and different beings were crowding around it, enjoying the day’s well earned rewards.
“You did it,” Vee exclaimed as she gave a napkin to Brin, waving in the direction of his face. “I knew you could do it. You were always good for this kind of work.”
Brin grabbed the napkin and started wiping more of the blood and grit off. “It’s always a pleasure doing business with you,” he responded with a side smile.
“And look at that,” Vee said to Elis. “You’re alive.”
“Yes, I suppose I am, aren’t I?” Elis relied with what Kai could only describe as a blend of sarcasm and exhaustion.
The festivities were a delightful respite from the previous couple of days and Kai took some time to test a number of culinary delights. She decided that her favourite was the eggplant mezze, with a strongly agreeable association of garlic, lemon and tahini, the latter an ingredient she had started to notice was particularly popular on Jakku. She enjoyed another bite and resolved that it was time for her to conclude her business on this planet.
Roasted eggplant mezze
Makes 4 portions
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants (around 600 g)
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
100 g spinach
1 tbsp white sesame paste (around 30 g)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
Heat the oven to 200 C. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and place them on a lined baking sheet with the cut sides facing down. Grill the eggplants in the oven for 40 minutes. Once ready, take out and let cool.
While the eggplants cool, finely chop the garlic. Add olive oil to a pan and cook the garlic for 5 minutes. Rinse the spinach and add it to the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes.
Place a mesh strainer over a large bowl. Scoop out the flesh of the eggplants and place it in the strainer. Add the cooked spinach to the strainer and let sit for 5 minutes, stirring slightly to remove as much liquid as possible.
In a blender, add the eggplants and spinach, sesame paste, salt, pepper, cumin and lemon juice. Blend until well combined.
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