Μελιτζανοσαλάτα

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

4 large purple eggplants

1/2 red onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

125 ml olive oil (1/2 cup)

4 tablespoons lemon juice

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

Start by baking the eggplants in a preheated oven at 200C (400F). Bake them whole, use a fork to make some wholes on the aubergines, place on a tray and bake for about 1 hour.

Use only the flesh of the eggplants. Peel the eggplants and dice the pulp.

Place the pulp and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and vigorously mix with a wooden spoon. (If you prefer your melitzanosalata to have a creamier texture, then add the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse, adding the olive oil gradually on a steady stream. Alternatively mash the eggplants using a fork). Let the melitzanosalata cool down and put in the fridge to allow the flavours to mingle.

Serve in a small bowl garnished with a whole black olive.

Notes

You need to get the excess water out of the pulp after baking. Place it in a colander after baking to drain - say 30 min or so.