Brighton Beach Eggplant

• 12 oz eggplant
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 large sweet red pepper
• 1 medium ripe tomato
• 2 cloves unpeeled garlic
• 2 Tbsp seedless raisins
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• salt to taste
• ground red pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Brush the cut sides of the eggplant and onion with the oil. Arrange the eggplant and onion, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Add the sweet pepper, tomato and garlic.
2. Roast the vegetables on the top shelf of the oven for 30 minutes, or until they are tender. Transfer them to a chopping board to cool. Scrape out the pulp from the eggplant and discard the skin. Remove the skin from the tomato and pepper. Coarsely chop all the vegetables and place them in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Peel the garlic and put it through a garlic press; add it to the chopped vegetables. Stir in the raisins, cilantro, turmeric, salt and ground pepper. Mix well.
4. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight to blend the flavors. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Robyn's notes: I served this stuffed in pita pockets. Didn't have any turmeric in the house, so I just left that out. Looked kinda gross (basically a mush of a bunch of stuff), but he liked it.