Melitzanosalata- (Eggplant Spread) Recipe
My friend Iason who is currently living in the Netherlands, has missed his Greek food and he reached out to me and asked for an eggplant dip recipe. The perfect one that came to mind was: Melitzanosalata recipe. Take a look at his dish below, and don’t you agree that he did a good job??!!
Melitzanosalata- (Eggplant Dip) Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 6 shallots- chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic- minced
- 1 red bell pepper- roasted – chopped
- 2 tsp of red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons of garlic puree
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1 bunch of fresh dill- chopped
- 1 bunch of fresh basil- chopped
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees or 180 C. Place the eggplant in the oven and let the eggplant get a bit burnt or to a crisp. (About 30 to 40 minutes.) Cool and then peel off the skin and discard. Next get a colander and line it with a cheesecloth. Drain the eggplant pulp overnight, and make sure to do this or the texture will be too loose and liquid.
- In a sauce pan , warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic, and the roasted peppers. (Cook for another minute.) Add the lemon juice and remove from the heat. Next use a food processor and combine half the drained eggplant and the garlic puree. Mix until very smooth and then add in the vinegar. Add the remaining olive oil and mix.
- In a bowl, chop the remaining eggplant and combine with the pepper mixture. Add in the pureed eggplant and fold both of them together. Season with the fresh herbs, sea salt and ground pepper. Serve on top of fresh pita or crackers.
Iason would like to add his very own tip:
Add in 2 teaspoons of chopped habanero peppers, for a spicy kick.
Looks totally delish, but I’m a instant gratification kinda girl, any tips on speeding up the process!
Hi Naomi,
Thanks. Well this recipe takes quite a while due to the eggplant having to cook in the oven. You can shorten the recipe by cooking the garlic, olive oil, roasted peppers and such a day a head and letting it chill in the fridge until the eggplant is done. There is different variations of this recipe, but that is usually how I would do this, if I didn’t want to take my time. 🙂 🙂
It’s the doing it the day before thing that I find hard, like in recipes that ask you to soak the beans overnight…..I know I know, I’ve got to get over that, and learn a little patience! I’m sure it’s worth, it does look particularly good!
Yes I totally understand. If you have a helper in the kitchen, then it makes it totally worth it. If not, then maybe try to cook the eggplant in the am, and while that is going get the garlic, olive oil, peppers and such going in a saute pan. So you can get both of those done at the same time. 🙂
Good idea. Thank you for your helpful tips, I’m going to buy an aubergine and try it!
Anytime!! I’m always here if you have any questions. Happy cooking. Let me know how it goes.
Let me know if you try it out. 🙂 It’s a must try recipe. The flavors are amazing, and I love my garlic, so I tend to add more then usual. Lol.
Ooh ooh! Another one for me :)))
Lol, it’s a very yummy recipe. 🙂
This sounds delish! I am an eggplant freak here :). Soon will be posting a close cousin to this gorgeous dish called Baingan Bharta where as Baingan is eggplant and bharta is a mash ;).
Hi,
That sounds good. Are you Persian by chance?? 🙂 I love eggplant too.