Roasted Eggplant Salad

By davidgoodman

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds Japanese or Italian eggplants
• 6 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 head garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 golden bell pepper
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1 large red onion
• 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, then in 3/4-inch chunks. Place in a bowl and toss with 4 tablespoons oil and salt and pepper to taste; transfer to a heavy baking sheet. Roast until just tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice with a spatula to make sure eggplant chunks aren't sticking to the baking sheet. Transfer to a large, shallow serving bowl.

Meanwhile, with a small knife, cut all around the head of garlic at the "equator," penetrating the paper skin but not the cloves. Remove the papery outer layers from the top half of the head (opposite the roots), exposing the cloves. Place garlic on a large square of aluminum foil and drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Loosely wrap the foil around it, sealing edges tightly. Slip garlic into oven alongside eggplants and bake until cloves are soft, about 45 minutes.

Remove seeds and ribs from bell peppers. Cut peppers and onion in 1-inch pieces. In a large skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add bell peppers and onions, season with salt and pepper and saute until tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl with eggplant. Add cherry tomatoes to skillet, season with salt and pepper and saute just to heat them through, about 1 minute; do not let them lose their shape. Transfer to bowl with eggplant and add parsley.

Squeeze the softened garlic out of the skins into a small bowl and mash to a puree. Whisk in vinegars. Pour about three-fourths of the mixture over the vegetables and toss gently, taking care not to break up the eggplant. Taste and add more of the vinegar mixture, salt or pepper if necessary. Serve at room temperature.