Eggplant Spread
The Greeks call it Melitzanosalata and this became my favorite food when I lived in Greece for a short time. I needed nothing more than a container of this eggplant salad and a fresh baked loaf of bread and my groceries for the day were set. It’s a great appetizer if you’re not making a meal of it.
Ingredients:
2 lbs eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 medium tomato, chopped
3 T fresh lemon juice
6 pitted kalamata olives (or a good black olive)
3 T chopped parsley
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Prick the eggplants in a few places and place on foil in a pan.
Bake about 40 minutes or until they are soft.
Let cool. Remove the stems, and peel the eggplants, scraping any flesh from the skins.
Discard the skins, remove any excess seeds and chop the eggplant.
Place in a bowl. Blend in olive oil and onion well with the eggplant. Add tomatoes.
Season with lemon juice, salt, pepper, 3 pitted olives, sliced, and 2 tablespoons of the parsley. Mix well and refrigerate.
Garnish with olives and parsley when you serve. Serve with toasted bread or crackers.
