I will be cooking Thanksgiving at my daughter's place this year

[JHan]

20. Yup, I've baked it like that. very yummy.

you've substituted it for the bacon in carbonara? So you used olive oil for the fat in the dish instead?

I also do something called roasted eggplant dip I serve with roti called "baigan choka" It's like baba ganoush minus the tahini.

I use two large eggplants and I poke in about 5 cloves of garlic in each eggplant ( just make lil incisions with your knife and plonk them in)

Bake eggplant whole or you can roast it on your bbq pit for a light charring until eggplants are soft on outside. The inside must be cooked so it'll take about 15-20 mins.

I also roast a sweet pepper ( to dice later and add to the dip) and two chillis to add for heat.

Once eggplant is cooked, it's simple sailing.

Thinly slice a medium onion and soak in cold water for a couple of minutes. Very thinly slice a clove of garlic, and dice the roasted pepper ( and hot pepper if you add it) Set aside.

Gut out eggplant flesh and mash, then drain and layer the onion and roasted pepper on top of the flesh.

In small saucepan, heat up a clove of garlic in about 4 tablespoons of oil ( to infuse the oil with garlic taste) until the garlic is golden brown and the oil is almost at the smoke point.

Then drench the onion, garlic and peppers with the hot oil and mix everything in.

Salt dish as you'd like and top with chopped parsley.