Approximately three quarts

When I was in my mid-20s, I ended up in Syria for a couple weeks. Why? I was traveling through Europe with a friend who recommended that we go to the Middle East. I was really into creating and learning new recipes. The only way that we could get to Syria was with a one-way ticket. I thought that it would be worth it because I was really going to experience some new tastes. (FYI: Don’t go to Syria with a one-way ticket. It is not healthy for your parents.) I had been in Italy and Greece right before going to Syria, and I was eating lots of eggplant, which is not the easiest vegetable to make taste great. I combined the data I collected and created this recipe, which happens to be one of my favorite eggplant recipes. I use it as a dip at parties. It’s a real hit. It can also be used as a layer in lasagna. I’ve even battered shrimp with it for deep frying. (To batter shrimp, I normally add a few eggs to the recipe. Evenly wrap the mix around the shrimp, and roll the shrimp in 50/50 mix of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Chill before deep frying.)

Ingredients
4 medium to large eggplants
6-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
1 large finely diced red onion
6 large minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons hot red-pepper flakes
3 large skinned, seeded, finely diced red tomatoes
3 large fire-roasted, skinned, seeded, finely diced red bell peppers
1 3/4 cups grated Locatelli cheese, divided (1 1/2 cups for the mix, 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top)
1 tablespoon pure tomato powder (I get mine at The Spice Shop in Chicago)
1/3 cup fresh, chiffonade sweet basil
2 teaspoons freshly ground Tellicherry pepper
8 ounces finely diced Provolone cheese
1/2 cup fresh, thinly sliced chives
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil


Procedure
Roast the eggplant whole in the oven at 350 degrees until they are soft, about two hours. Scoop out the inside of the eggplant and chill. (Discard the skin and stem.)
Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and reserve the oil. Chop the tomatoes; reserve.
In a 350-degree skillet, lightly brown the onion in the sun-dried tomato oil. Add the garlic and heat until garlic is light brown; add the pepper flakes and fresh tomatoes. Cook, continually stirring, until the mixture is almost dry. Remove from the heat. Chill.
Place all of the ingredients in a mixer, except for the 1/4 cup of Locatelli and olive oil. Using the paddle attachment, mix well.
Brush the inside of a baking dish with the olive oil. Add the spicy eggplant mix.
Bake at 350 degrees until hot. Sprinkle with remaining Locatelli.

Enjoy!

Note: I like to serve this dip with warm pita chips. Simply cut pita bread into triangles. Brush the triangles with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake the pita triangles in a 350-degree oven until crisp.