We were lucky enough to visit Marrakesh this summer with our great friends… one a native Moroccan, and the other a Parisienne.  Hospitality is central to Moroccan culture, and our hosts treated us like royalty.  The food was outstanding.  At every dinner, we would share an array of gorgeous and colorful salads as a starter.  Carrots with raisins, cucumbers in vinaigrette, roasted squash, beets, green beans… the list goes on and on.

Last night, as a tribute, I made a Moroccan feast, kicked off with a classic Eggplant with Cumin salad.  Like many Moroccan salads, this falls somewhere between a dip and a salad, and is best served with pita or naan.
Here is the recipe from Epicurious: Moroccan Eggplant Salad

I don’t have a spice grinder, so I toasted some ground cumin in a dry skillet over low heat.  As some reviews suggested, I quartered the eggplant and roasted it on the grill instead of on the stovetop.  I also lightly sauteed the red onion to mellow out the flavor.