If you have pickles around - preferably ones with some spice - feel free to sub them for the cucumber to make this more authentic. Slices of tomato in summer would be welcome too. You can make the eggplant, tahini sauce, and boiled eggs in advance, then assemble sandwiches at a moment's notice.
Serves: 2 sandwiches; easily scaled up or down
Ingredients
1 small eggplant
Coarse salt
Olive oil
2 eggs
1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly lengthwise
¼ cup tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice, from about 2 lemons
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoon olive oil
About 1 teaspoon minced fresh cilantro
About 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
½ teaspoon minced jalapeño (just the flesh, not the seeds; optional)
4 slices good bread, or 2 pita, tops cut off
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Slice the eggplant and lay the slices on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Salt them well, then flip and salt again. Let rest for about 20 minutes. Press down on the eggplant slices with paper towels to remove a lot of the moisture. Toss in a bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil, then arrange in one layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the edges are dark brown. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. You can make these up to 2 days in advance.
Meanwhile, boil the eggs: place both eggs in a small stockpot. Add cold water to cover. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Keep an eye on the pot. As soon as it boils, turn off the heat. Let the eggs sit for 7 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and run under cold water until cool to the touch. You can do this up to 5 days in advance. Store the cooled eggs in the fridge.
Whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, 2 teaspoon olive oil, herbs, and jalapeño until creamy. Add a pinch of salt and taste; add more if you like.
For each sandwich: spread all the slices of bread (or the pita) with tahini sauce. Peel and slice the hardboiled egg and layer it on top. Sprinkle with salt. Layer about 4 slices of roasted eggplant, then cover with the cucumber. Top the sandwich with the second tahini-lined slice of bread. Cut in half if you wish!
Recipe by Big Girls Small Kitchen at http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2013/04/sabich-sandwich.html