Eggplant and Tomato Kookoo

I was out of town the past week, and prior to my drive north I made this dish to bring on the road. It turned out delicious - both fresh and hot from the oven, and eaten the next day. It would be a great dish for brunch, and I especially enjoyed it with some plain yogurt on top. Kookoo are Iranian style frittatas - and as Naz Deravian says, are more about the filling than the eggs. Typically one ingredient will be the star, though in this case it is two: the eggplant and the tomatoes. This is another Bottom of the Pot recipe, and I used all garden produce and herbs. I didn't have capers (I am going to try making some with milkweed pods, if they aren't too big yet), so I used some diced up pickled green tomatoes instead.

Serves 4-8

• 2 large long eggplants (about 1 1/4 pounds) 
• 1/4 c plus 1 T olive oil
• salt
• 6 large eggs
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste
• Leaves from 1 stem tarragon, minced (plus more leaves for garnish)
• 1 T capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
• Black pepper
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 4 med tomatoes (about 1 lb 6 oz), sliced into 1/4" rounds
• Fresh herbs to garnish: mint, basil, cilantro, tarragon
• Yogurt for serving

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl toss eggplant with 1.4 c olive oil and 3/4 tsp salt. Divide eggplant slices on two baking sheets and lay out in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Remove from oven and set aside. Lower oven heat to 400 degrees.

While the eggplant roasts, add the eggs, garlic, tarragon, capers, 2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper to the same bowl you used for the eggplant. Beat well to combine and set aside.

Heat a 10 or 12" cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add the butter and remaining Tablespoon of olive oil. As soon as the butter sizzles place one layer of tomatoes in the pan. It's okay if they overlap slightly. Sprinkle the tomatoes lightly with salt and layer with eggplant slices. Repeat with another layer of tomatoes (sprinkled with salt) and one more layer of eggplant. Pour the egg batter over the whole thing and place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes, until the kookoo has set and the edges are slightly browned.

Set aside to cool slightly. Garnish with whatever fresh herbs you have on hand, and slice into wedges or squares. Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

Bonus vacation picture: Moose! All week I ate thimbleberries like this moose ate river grass - steady, ongoing, and with pauses to breathe. :)