Cook’s notes
But what time of day is this salsa best enjoyed? Any time of the day or night. It makes a great snack when served with thin, thin slices of toasted bread. And it’s a delectable finger food when scooped right out of the bowl with torn pieces of toasted flatbread like pita, naan or tortilla.
Just how easy is it to make? Very easy.
Tip #1: It’s best to cut the eggplants into halves to soften them faster.
Tip #2: Grill the eggplants just until soft but not to the point of mushiness. Take the eggplants off the grill, cool a bit then scrape off the skin.
Chop the eggplants, minus the skins, and mix with the rest of the ingredients. And that’s it.
But how can something so simple and so basic taste good?
Tip #3: You have to include lots of garlic. For best results, grill the garlic too. In fact, if you have time, you might want to grill halved tomatoes to add a layer of flavor.
Tip #4: For best experience, leave the salsa to sit at room temperature for half an hour before serving. That’s enough time for all the wonderful flavors to blend.
Tip #2: Grill the eggplants just until soft but not to the point of mushiness. Take the eggplants off the grill, cool a bit then scrape off the skin.
Chop the eggplants, minus the skins, and mix with the rest of the ingredients. And that’s it.
But how can something so simple and so basic taste good?
Tip #3: You have to include lots of garlic. For best results, grill the garlic too. In fact, if you have time, you might want to grill halved tomatoes to add a layer of flavor.
Tip #4: For best experience, leave the salsa to sit at room temperature for half an hour before serving. That’s enough time for all the wonderful flavors to blend.Grilled eggplant salsa
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants Asian eggplants are used here
- ½ whole garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 to 3 plump tomatoes
- parsley
- 1 lemon
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Start heating the grill and brush the surface with olive oil.
- Split the eggplants into halves vertically and brush the cut sides with olive oil.
- Take a whole bulb of garlic (a whole bulb, not a clove) and split into halves horizontally. Brush the cut sides with oil as well.
- Place the garlic halves on the hot grill, cut side down, and grill until nicely charred. Remove from the grill (reserve one half for another use).
- Brush the grill once more with olive oil and lay the eggplant halves, cut side down, and grill until charred before flipping over to cook through. Remove from the grill and cool.
- Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into halves, scoop out and discard the seeds, then cut into small cubes.
- Chop the parsley and measure. You’ll need about a quarter cup plus a tablespoon to garnish.
- Zest the lemon.
- Press out the garlic to loosen from the skins. Roughly chop the skinless garlic.
- Scrape the eggplant to remove the skin then roughly chop.
- Place the eggplants, tomatoes, garlic and parsley in a bowl, sprinkle in the lemon zest, a teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of pepper. Drizzle in about two tablespoons olive oil and squeeze the lemon juice directly over everything.
- Toss everything together, taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. If the mixture appears too dry, add more olive oil.
- Let the salsa rest for at least half an hour. Taste once more, adjust the seasonings, if needed and drizzle in more olive oil to moisten and loosen.
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