BRND House
At Mother’s Ruin in Germantown, you’ll find comforting bar food that goes far beyond heavy fried foods.
Chef Nick Pfannerstill pulls from a global pantry for dishes like the house falafel burger, green chile queso, and Old Bay waffle fries. But if you’re going for something a little healthier, his pick is the Charred Eggplant Dip.
“It’s creamy, spicy, and bright. I literally eat this stuff all day long. It’s much healthier than most dishes that hit on those notes (queso, nachos, etc.); I love not feeling the guilt afterwards,” he says. “I developed this years ago as a garnish for a poached halibut dish,” he adds.
Soon, he fell in love with it on its own and dropped the fish. With a few fresh ingredients and spices, it comes together quickly, too. Pfannerstill uses berbere, which is an Ethiopian spice blend that he makes in house.
But, he laughs, “I’m not handing that recipe out!” Try Kalustyan’s in New York City, he says. “They grind everything in-house and their custom blends are incredible.”
At the restaurant, he’ll top the dish with a briny sheep’s milk feta and pine nuts, but at home, he opts to eat the vegan variation, listed here. Served with fresh vegetables and grilled pita bread for dipping, he says, “it’s great either way.”
Mother’s Ruin, 1239 6th Ave. N., 615-953-7317; mothersruinnashville.com
Charred Eggplant Dip
Courtesy of Mother’s Ruin
Yields 1 quart
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds Japanese eggplant, peeled and halved lengthwise
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for charring eggplant
- 3 cups red onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon berbere spice blend (or any available fragrant African spice blend)
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon salt (possibly more to taste)
Directions: Preheat a griddle pan and char the eggplant with the extra little bit of olive oil, until lightly blackened on one side; it should be tender and cooked through. Place eggplant in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to trap the steam. Once it comes to room temperature, discard liquid runoff and roughly chop the eggplant.
In a sauté pan, sweat the onions in 1 cup of olive oil until onions are very soft. Add Berbere spice to the onions and cook for 1 more minute.
Combine the eggplant with the onions and remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Adjust the seasonings as desired and let cool.
Spread eggplant dip in a wide bowl and top generously with chopped dill, parsley, and mint. (You can also add sheep’s milk feta and pine nuts.) Serve alongside vegetable crudités (red pepper, cucumber, endive, etc.) and freshly grilled flatbread.