#52. Moroccan Eggplant with Couscous

This is from the ironically named "Vegetarian Cooking: A Commonsense Guide" which is full of very complicated recipes. I was terrified that it would be inedibly spicy, but it's actually delicious.

[Again, I'm leaving out the recipe. If you want to try it ask here or on Twitter.]

The first time I made this, it came out very good but a bit salty, and it took way too long to make (about two hours). So the second time, I thought I would substitute garlic paste for the garlic salt and take some shortcuts. Both were a bad idea. So in the future, DO salt the eggplant and let it stand 1/2 hour, DO use garlic salt, just maybe half as much, and DO let the eggplant cook slowly in oil without adding water. Also, slice the onions thin and get them good and browned.

This photo is from the first night I made it, when the onions were a bit too thick, but I didn't make the mistake of adding water to the eggplant, so the spices stayed stuck to the eggplant and the couscous stayed nice and couscous-colored:

A, if I do it right