These fun-size nightshades are baba ghanoush reimagined.
At some point in the near future, you will be invited to your first cookout of the year. The host will ask what you want to bring. Make this stuffed baby eggplant the dish from the new cookbook Sirocco: Fabulous Flavors from the Middle Eastby Sabrina Ghayour. It's simple to execute (all that's left to clean is a bowl and some utensils), pleasing to the eye and palette, and uses eggplant, which research done on animals at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine suggests has cardioprotective properties. If you are bringing these little purple wonders to a gathering, let the host know you'll need the oven and complete step four on site for maximum deliciousness.
Reprinted from SIROCCO: FABULOUS FLAVORS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST. Copyright ©2016 by Sabrina Ghayour. Photos by Haarala Hamilton. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.