Ingredients
-2 pounds red bell peppers (about 5 to 6)
-1 small eggplant (roughly 3/4 pound)
-3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
-3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
-1 ounce fresh chives
1 tablespoon lemon juice
-1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
-1 teaspoon rapadura sugar or coconut sugar
-Kosher salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
-1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
Instructions
-Heat oven to 450°F and arrange racks in the upper third. Halve each pepper, discarding stems and seeds. Place peppers, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with foil.
-Cut eggplant in half lengthwise and drizzle it with about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a little salt and place it, cut-side down, on the baking sheet. Roast the peppers and eggplant until they are blackened, blistered, and the eggplant collapses when you press on it, about 30 minutes. (You can also grill the peppers and eggplant.)
-Remove the eggplant and set it aside to cool slightly. Remove the peppers, place them in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap until the peppers have slightly cooled, at least 5 minutes.
-Use a spoon or ice-cream scoop to remove the pulp of the eggplant from the skin, and discard the skin. Put eggplant in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the garlic. Pulse the eggplant a few times so that it’s roughly chopped.
-Once peppers are cool enough to handle, peel them (reserving any juices that collect), discard the peel, and add the peppers and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pepper liquid to the food processor. Add the chives and pulse 5 to 8 times to chop coarsely. Stir in the lemon juice, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Taste and add more sugar if it is a bit sour, then add salt and freshly ground black pepper, as desired. Serve warm or room temperature as a spread or condiment.
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