I needed to use my leftover baba ghannouj (from a can, but nicely
smoky and tahini-intensive), and I was not in a sandwich mood. Ideas
for a soup using it didn't gel, so I thought about other things that
are good with eggplants. The list (winnowed from the eggplant pairing
suggestions in Dornenburg and Page's Culinary Artistry) ended up being
tomatoes, rice, walnuts, pine nuts, garlic, and mint. I decided
against tomatoes, and to go for least work, and make a pine nut pilaf:

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp dried onions
1 tsp dried garlic
2 Tbsp pine nuts
1 cup brown kalijira rice (a tiny-grained aromatic rice; very yummy)
sufficient (~2-3 cups) water, hot
1/2 tsp dried mint
1 tsp veg. bouillon (or replace the water with veg stock)


Heat the oil, and saute the pine nuts, onions, garlic and rice till
the rice changes color.
Add the water, bouillon and mint, stir, and simmer covered till done.

To serve, put some of the pilaf on a plate. Shape the baba ghannouj
into quenelles (if you wish), and put them on top of the pilaf.

The flavors and textures hit the spot, but the dish (tan + brown) was
pretty dull to look at. Next time, I may add a tomato-based augment,
roasted pepper, or fresh mint garnish, if only for the visual contrast.



Enjoy!
N.