Recipe: Grilled Marinated Eggplant

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Grilled Marinated EggplantMarinated eggplant makes a great antipasto, alone or as part of a larger spread.

Yield: Serves 4 as a first course or side dish.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 2 tablespoons drained capers
  • 1 medium garlic clove, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Sicilian
  • 1/4 teaspoon minced peperoncini or red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium eggplant (3/4 pound), peeled and sliced about 1/3″ thick
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:

  1. Finely chop the parsley with the capers and garlic. Add the oregano and peperoncini and chop everything together. Put the mixture in a bowl, stir in the oil, season with salt and pepper, and reserve.
  2. Preheat an outdoor charcoal or gas grill or a grill pan until smoking hot.
  3. Put enough eggplant slices on the grill to cover it without crowding. Cook the eggplant until well marked, 3 to 6 minutes, then turn the slices over. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes more. Remove the eggplant from the grill.
  4. Pour the vinegar into a shallow bowl. While still hot, dip each eggplant slice into the vinegar and set it aside on a plate. Continue grilling and dipping the eggplant until all the slices are cooked and seasoned.
  5. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the parsley mixture onto a platter and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon. Arrange half of the grilled eggplant on the parsley in a single layer. Smear each slice of eggplant with more parsley. Place a second layer of eggplant on top and spread the remaining parsley on it. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and set aside to marinate at room temperature for about 2 hours (or refrigerate for longer). Serve at room temperature.

Chef’s notes:

  • You could make the parsley mixture in a food processor, but I don’t. I find hand chopping gives me the somewhat drier texture I prefer.
  • For this recipe, I don’t salt or oil the eggplant; I grill it dry. This way, it has a nice chewy texture. I marinate the eggplant as soon as it comes off the grill so the flavor of the marinade penetrates.

Source: http://www.epicurious.com