I have a long-held fascination with eggplant.
It all started with food television. Growing up, I watched in awe as chefs prepared this strange, spongy vegetable. Sometimes they roasted it and sometimes they fried it. Either way, I just knew that someday I would love eggplant and I was right.
Eggplant just wasn’t a vegetable that appeared on my family’s table. . . or any other family that we visited’s tables. I didn’t see it at church picnics or soccer team potlucks. Maybe eggplant has become more popular in the kitchens of the Twin Cities’ southern ‘burbs. It’s so good and so versatile.
Earlier this year, I watched the episode of Trisha Yearwood’s (my childhood hero) cooking show on Food Network in which Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner were special guests. Nadia prepared this simple eggplant dip called Salata de Vinete that caught my eye. I whipped together this dip based upon what I remembered seeing her prepare during this episode.
Jake and I liked the dip so much that it’s already gone. After we enjoyed it for dinner, I polished off the leftovers for breakfast and am contemplating preparing a second batch.
Creamy Chopped Eggplant Dip
Adapted from Nadia Comaneci’s recipe for Salata de Vinete. Use as many eggplants as you like. I’d recommend small-medium sized eggplants so they’ll roast faster and have smaller seeds, but use what you have.
Ingredients:
Eggplant
Olive oil
Salt
Onion, finely diced (as much as you like)
Garlic, powdered or freshly grated
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Mayonnaise (can substitute greek yogurt or sour cream).
Lemon juice, to taste
Dill, dried or fresh
Smoked paprika or my favorite – half sharp Hungarian paprika, a dash or two
Instructions:
- Pre-heat oven to 400℉.
- Wash eggplants. Prick several times with a fork or knife so they don’t explode while baking. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Roast eggplants until they are soft inside and blistered outside. Flip a few times during cooking. This will take about 40-minutes for small eggplants and longer if they are larger.
- When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and remove the stem. Let any liquid drain away from the eggplant.
- Chop into small pieces. If you want a smoother texture, chop finer.
- Combine chopped eggplant with red onion and a couple dollops of mayonnaise. Start with a little bit of each and add as needed.
- Season with garlic powder or grated garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, dill and lemon juice, to taste.
- Serve with toasted pita bread.
I will be saving this for later in the summer when I have eggplant from the garden, looks delicious!
The Real Person!
It will be so much better when the eggplant shows up in the markets and gardens! I know you will like it:)
This looks so delicious!! Yum!
DEFINITELY going to be giving this one a try- I think it will make a great nibble to serve on top of toasted slices of crusty baguette that were spread with a little garlic butter before popping under the broiler. I better get some DILL going in the garden too- Fresh is oh so much better.
Eggplant for breakfast!!!! That’s a switch. I need to send this to my sister because she was asking me for eggplant recipes!!!
The Real Person!
It’s seriously good! I’ve made it about four times.