Melitzanosalata (Eggplant Salad)
By Birgitta
In the summer in Greece, this Greek dip can often be found at tavernas among the several Mezedes (appetizers) ordered by a group of friends and it’s most definitely on the table at home for family & friends. The “must-do” for this recipe is char-roasting the eggplant in a gas or charcoal grill to get the smokiness.
You will need a BBQ (either charcoal or gas grill) and a mortar & pestle to prepare this dish.
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large Italian eggplant
- 1 large clove of garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- coarse sea salt to taste
- 2 tbsp of chopped flat-leaf parsley
- squeeze of lemon juice (prevents the eggplant from turning brown)
Preparation
Step 1
1) Your BBQ/Grill is on and you place an eggplant (on direct heat) that’s been pricked with a fork a few times all around. The eggplant should take about 20-30 minutes (depending how hot your grill/BBQ is) and should be rotated until all of the skin has been charred.
2) When the eggplant is done roasting, let it rest for about 10 minutes and take to mashing your clove of garlic in some coarse sea salt in the mortar & pestle. Your garlic should be a fine mash.
3)Take a knife and cut the eggplant open, vertically and peel open it to reveal it’s light green-yellow meat. With a spoon, scrape out the meat and place it into your mortar , add a squeeze of lemon juice and mash the eggplant & incorporate the garlic with the eggplant.
4) Now you will add, slowly, the olive oil to the eggplant while still mixing using the pestle. For one eggplant, usually 1/4 to a 1/3 cup of olive oil is sucked up by the eggplant.
5) Add the chopped parsley to the eggplant and adjust for seasoning and plate with a parsley garnish. Depending on my mood, sometimes I add some crumbled Feta cheese into the mix!
Get some crusty bread and dip away!