Eggplant & Red-Pepper Salad

By ltrodrigu

The secret to this dish is bringing the eggplant dangerously close to burning. The dark caramelization provides an almost nutty counterpoint to the sweetness of the onions and peppers.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons vegetable or grapeseed oil
• 1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
• 2 large red bell peppers, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley, loosely packed
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Urfa biber (dried Turkish pepper) or paprika

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from online.wsj.com

Preparation

Step 1

Sprinkle eggplant with salt, arrange in a single layer on a paper-towel-lined plate and let rest 1 hour.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium sauté pan set over medium heat. Add onions, peppers and garlic, and sauté until onion is soft and translucent, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, thoroughly rinse salt from eggplant and blot dry. In another sauté pan set over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil until it shimmers. Working in batches, add eggplant in a single layer and fry until dark brown all over, 2-3 minutes per side, transferring to a paper-towel-lined plate as you go. Repeat with remaining rounds, adding oil as necessary.

Add eggplant to onion-pepper mixture and cook, stirring to combine, 5 minutes more.

Remove pan from heat. Mix in parsley, lemon juice and Urfa biber or paprika. Serve slightly chilled.