• فتة الباذنجان •
Toasted pita bread is drenched in a spiced tomato broth, topped with tender roasted eggplant, and finally smothered in a lemony tahini sauce–this is comfort food, Middle Eastern-style.
Fatteh is a traditional dish in the Eastern Mediterranean that is usually made, in it’s most basic form, with pieces of torn bread, boiled chickpeas, and a yogurt or tahini sauce. I often make it and I thoroughly enjoy the simplicity of the homely chickpea original, but this eggplant fatteh is particularly delectable. The spicy and herbaceous tomato sauce made with caramelized onions brings this version to another level.
Take note: This eggplant fatteh is exactly the kind of dish that will call you back into the kitchen two hours after you’ve eaten it for dinner. Soon enough, you’ll be grabbing a fork and picking away at it, carefully collecting some of the bread, eggplant, tahini sauce, and toasted nuts for each and every comforting mouthful. You’ve been warned!
- 3 large eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise (about ¼ inch thick)
- 1 medium onion, diced small
- 1 bell pepper or frying pepper, diced medium
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- pinch of cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- black pepper, to taste
- 3 large tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (about 3 cups total) or use the same amount of basic tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 4 loaves of pita bread, torn into bite-sized pieces
- ¾ cup tahini
- ⅔ cup water
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds, toasted
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- Peel the eggplant and slice lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices. Arrange the slices on parchment-lined baking sheets, drizzle each slice with some olive oil, sprinkle with some salt, and roast in an oven preheated to 450°F. Roast until the slices are cooked and browned, around 30 minutes.
- While the eggplant is roasting, begin the tomato sauce by sautéing the onion in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan. Throw a pinch of salt onto the onions and cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until browned and caramelized. Once the onions have taken on a nice brown (not burned) color, add the chopped bell pepper and minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the paprika, allspice, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, oregano, and black pepper. Stir constantly for ten seconds to bloom the spices and then add the tomatoes, water, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on medium for 10 minutes.
- Tear up 4 loaves of pita bread, first separating the loaves and then tearing each half into bite-sized pieces and put into a baking dish.
- When the eggplant is done, remove the from the oven and put in the baking dish with torn bread. As the eggplant slices cool on the counter, watch as the bread toasts in the oven. Open the oven and toss the bread around with a spoon once or twice. When the pieces of bread are toasted and crispy, remove the dish from the oven.
- In a small bowl whisk together the tahini, water, lemon juice, and salt until smooth. Set aside.
- By now the eggplant slices should be cool enough to chop. Gather 5 or 6 slices at a time, chop them into bite-sized pieces, and stir them into the tomato sauce. By now the sauce may have cooled slightly, so heat it up for a couple minutes on high with the eggplant pieces in it. (If the mixture is very thick and not saucy, stir in ½ cup water.) Pour this mixture over the bread and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
- Pour all of the tahini sauce over the smoothed eggplant, making sure to cover all of the surface. Under the broiler or on the top rack in a very hot oven, broil the fatteh until the top gets some browned spots.
- Remove from oven. Toast the slivered almonds by sautéing them in a small saucepan with 1 teaspoon of oil over high heat. Stir constantly until golden and fragrant. Sprinkle the almonds and the chopped parsley over the entire surface of the fatteh and serve.
This looks like the Middle Eastern version of chilaquiles…your pictures are absolutely stunning and I want a big plate of this now!:)
Thanks Christine! Wow I’ve never thought of the chilaquiles similarity…you’re right!
I tried this recipe yesterday and it was absolutely delicious!
I didn’t have all the ingredients but I replaced the tahini by sesame seeds blend with olive oil, almonds by walnuts and pita bread by naans that were leftover from the day before /and toasted it with olive oil and thyme 😉
I will definitly try other recipes of this site! Thanks Omar!
Thanks Julie! I love all the smart substitutions you made! Definitely let me know if you play around with other recipes! 🙂
This recipe is fabulous. My husband is fussy and he loved it.
That’s what I love to hear! Glad you are enjoying Jt!
Can the tahini sauce be mixed with a bit of yogurt/labneh? Or would that ruin it?
Hi Sabeen, yes you can add yogurt/labaneh to it if you want to make it nonvegan. The taste won’t be affected, just maybe add a little less lemon juice if your yogurt is sour. Good luck!