CURRIED EGGPLANT STRUDEL

CURRIED EGGPLANT STRUDEL

1 large eggplant -- peeled/diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove -- minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup chopped canned tomatoes
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup roasted peanuts -- chopped
1 pound frozen phyllo dough (24 sheets) -- defrosted
3/4 pound unsalted butter -- clarified
1 cup plain yogurt

Toss the eggplant with the salt and set aside for 30
minutes. Wrap in a towel and squeeze out any excess
moisture. Set aside.

In a skillet, saute the onion in the olive oil over medium
heat until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, curry
powder, cumin and chili powder, and cook 2 more minutes.
Add the reserved eggplant, tomatoes and sugar. Mix the
saffron into the vinegar and add to mixture. Simmer for 15
minutes, until the eggplant is soft. Add a bit of water if
the mixture should become too dry.

Add the peanuts and cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place a sheet of phyllo on a clean work surface and drizzle
lightly with clarified butter. Layer five more sheets,
drizzling a bit more butter atop each layer. Brush the top
layer with butter.

Place a quarter of the filling over the sheets, mounding
more of it along one of the longer sides. Roll the sheets
up jelly roll-style, starting at the edge with the mounded
filling. Place seam-side down on a greased sheet pan and
brush with more cla rified butter. Make three more strudels
using the rest of the phyllo and the remaining filling and
butter.

On sheet pans, bake in the preheated oven until golden
brown, about 25 to 30 minutes, moving the pans front to
back and top to bottom halfway through. Let rest for 10
minutes before serving.

Cut the strudel in 1-inch-thick slices and top with yogurt.