Grilled Eggplant

It’s been awhile since I’ve talked about anything other than the house, so I’ll spare you my thoughts on exterior doors/house colours/trim size for at least a few days and post a recipe instead.

I’ve been wanting to share this one for a while, and since we managed to produce two lovely eggplants in a year when we couldn’t even get tomatoes to ripen, I figured now was the perfect time to share it. The cookbook that this recipe comes from is packed away with everything else I own, but it’s a very simple combination, so I was able to reproduce it without any trouble.
The book is called Inspirations, and it’s a compilation of recipes put together by a group of seven renouned Vancouver chefs called “The Girls Who Dish”. They’ve written several cookbooks, and while I’ve only really cooked from this one, I don’t think you could go wrong with any of their recipes. This particular favorite of mine is for grilled eggplant with feta and mint, and I don’t care if you think you don’t like eggplant, I can almost guarantee that you will love this recipe!

Start out by slicing two large eggplants into 1/4″ rounds. Brush each side with a light coating of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill until the eggplant is tender (I used the barbeque this time, but I usually just use a cast iron grill pan on the stovetop). Lay the grilled slices (a layer at a time) on a large platter, and sprinkle with red wine vinegar (a few tablespoons should be enough for the whole batch). Next, top it off with with some crumbled feta and finely chopped mint. Layer the rest of the eggplant rounds on top, and repeat. Serve at room temperature with pita bread cut into small wedges and watch it disappear!
This is a great appetizer to make when you’ve got people coming over (it also transports really well if you’re going to a pot luck), but it would also make a nice light summer meal, preferably paired with a glass of your favorite wine.