Best Melitzanosalata Recipes

MELITZANOSALATA AGIORITIKI (ATHENIAN EGGPLANT SALAD)

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
• Pierce the eggplant a few times with the tip of a paring knife or fork. Cook eggplant on preheated grill, turning often, until the skin is charred and the eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Remove the skin from the eggplant and dice the pulp. Place into a mixing bowl, and add tomato, onion, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, and feta cheese; mix well. Refrigerate for one hour, and season to taste with salt before serving.

MELITZANOSALATA (GRILLED EGGPLANT SALAD WITH TOMATO, VINEGAR, AND PARSLEY)

Steps:

• Preheat grill pan over high heat. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet; set aside.
• Pierce each eggplant in a few places with a fork. Lightly oil grill pan with vegetable oil. Place eggplants on the grill pan and top with a heavy, flat lid, turning occasionally to prevent burning, until the eggplants are soft and the skin is black, about 15 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer eggplants to reserved baking sheet to cool.
• When eggplants are cool, peel and discard the skin as well as any accumulated juices. Coarsely chop the eggplant and place it in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add garlic, onion, and tomatoes; beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add yogurt, and beat for an additional minute.
• With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add vinegar and lemon juice. When blended, with the mixer still running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady steam. Begin adding seltzer, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until the mixture is slightly thick yet light and relatively loose. Stir in parsley and oregano; season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to a nonreactive container, cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to overnight before serving with warm pita triangles.

MELITZANOSALATA

Steps:

• To prepare yogurt: Line a colander or strainer with cheese cloth and set over a bowl. Bowl should support strainer without touching the bottom of the bowl. Put yogurt in the strainer and let drain overnight. Discard liquid and use strained yogurt according to recipe.
• Prepare a grill or broiler or heat an oven to 375 degrees F.
• Pierce eggplant with a fork. In an oven broiler or on a hot grill, cook eggplant, turning frequently to prevent burning, until skin becomes black and eggplant is soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove eggplant from heat and cool on a wire rack over a baking sheet to catch juices. Eggplants may be baked for 45 minutes for similar results. When eggplant is cooled, peel off skin and coarsely chop. With paddle attachment in an electric mixer, add eggplant, tomatoes, onion and garlic, and mix on medium speed about 1 minute. Stop machine and add yogurt. Continue to mix at medium speed for another minute. With mixer running, slowly add vinegar and lemon juice. Continue mixing while slowly adding olive oil. Thin mixture with seltzer as needed until eggplant salad is the consistency of a loose paste. Add parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight and serve.
• *method below.

MELITZANOSALATA AGIORITIKI (ATHENIAN EGGPLANT SALAD) [9]

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. Pierce the eggplant a few times with the tip of a paring knife or fork. Cook eggplant on preheated grill, turning often, until the skin is charred and the eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin from the eggplant and dice the pulp. Place into a mixing bowl, and add tomato, onion, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, and feta cheese; mix well. Refrigerate for one hour, and season to taste with salt before serving.

MELITZANOSALATA AGIORITIKI (ATHENIAN EGGPLANT SALAD)

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
• Pierce the eggplant a few times with the tip of a paring knife or fork. Cook eggplant on preheated grill, turning often, until the skin is charred and the eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Remove the skin from the eggplant and dice the pulp. Place into a mixing bowl, and add tomato, onion, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, and feta cheese; mix well.
• Refrigerate for one hour, and season to taste with salt before serving.

MELITZANOSALATA (GREEK EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) SPREAD)

Steps:

• Wash eggplant, place in baking pan and bake in at 375F for about one hour, or until soft when pierced with a fork and the eggplant has sort of collapsed into itself.
• allow the skin to turn black and charred so as to give a smoky flavour to the salad (you can also grill the eggplant by putting them directly on the grate- whole- on your bbq. Grill until skin is blackened and charred and eggplant is very soft and starting to deflate. If you use the grill method- leave out the liquid smoke).
• Skin eggplant when cool enough for you to stand it and chop in small pieces. Mash it up a bit with a fork.
• Mix well with onion, garlic, tahini, oil, vinegar (start with 1 tblsp of vinegar and if you want it sharper, add more, a bit at a time), salt and pepper (to taste).
• Note: I kind of beat this around with a fork to incorporate the oil well into the eggplant spread- you don't want it looking oily at all, but creamy.

ATHENIAN EGGPLANT SALAD (MELITZANOSALATA AGIORITIKI)

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. Pierce the eggplant a few times with the tip of a paring knife or fork. Cook eggplant on preheated grill, turning often, until the skin is charred and the eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin from the eggplant and dice the pulp. Place into a mixing bowl, and add tomato, onion, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, and feta cheese; mix well. Refrigerate for one hour, and season to taste with salt before serving.

FRUGAL GOURMET'S MELITZANOSALATA

Steps:

• Brush a backing pan with I tablespoon olive oil. Slice the eggplant.
• in half, the long way, and place it, cut side down, on the oiled.
• baking pan. Bake 375º for 45 minutes, or until soft.
• Cut the eggplant, including the skin, into small pieces, and.
• place in a blender. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, the vinegar, lemon.
• juice, parsley, and garlic. Blend until smooth.
• Add the yogurt, cream cheese, and bread crumbs. Blend.
• again, and add salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight.
• Use as a dip with bread, crackers, fingers, etc.

GREEK EGGPLANT DIP/SPREAD "MELITZANOSALATA"

Steps:

• Wash & pat dry the eggplants. With a fork pierce a few holes all over., wrap each eggplant in aluminum foil and place them under oven grill, on high heat for about 50 minutes or until soft & charred. This could also be done on a gas grill but will need less time to cook. (I personally prefer the gas cause it gives a stronger smoky flavor) When ready pierce again to check if done. If softened they are done. Set aside for a while to cool.
• Scoop out the flesh & discard the skin. Place the eggplant flesh & seeds in a colander & lightly squeeze to remove as much liquid. as you can. You don't need a lot of moisture.
• With a fork mash the eggplant, but not completely. and set aside in a bowl. Wash, pat dry & dice tomatoes. Discard tomato liquids or save for another use. (I freeze it) Add diced tomato to eggplant. Then add minced garlic and chopped parsley.
• Gently fold. Add salt & pepper, olive oil & vinegar. Gently fold once or twice so all ingredients will mix but not become mushy.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight before serving. To serve, garnish with some chopped parsley & drizzle with some olive oil. Enjoy with pita chips or crusty bread like a bruschetta. It could also be served as a side dish to any barbeque cookout. Tip: I sometimes add red bell pepper for crunchiness and to add color. KALI OREXI

MELITZANOSALATA (BABA GANNOOJ)

Steps:

• 1. On a very hot grill, cook the eggplants turning till charred all over. Grill until skins darken and wrinkle on all sides and eggplants are uniformly soft when pressed with tongs, about 25 minutes for large globe eggplants, 20 minutes for Italian eggplants, and 15 minutes for Japanese eggplants, turning every 5 minutes and reversing direction of eggplants on grill with each turn. Transfer eggplants to rimmed baking sheet and cool 5 minutes. 2. Set small colander over bowl or in sink. Trim top and bottom off each eggplant. Following illustration 3, slit eggplants lengthwise and use spoon to scoop hot pulp from skins and place pulp in colander (you should have about 2 cups packed pulp); discard skins. Let pulp drain 3 minutes. 3. Transfer pulp to workbowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Add lemon juice, oil, garlic, tahini, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; process until mixture has coarse, choppy texture, about eight 1-second pulses. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper; transfer to serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap flush with surface of dip, and refrigerate 45 to 60 minutes. To serve, use spoon to make trough in center of dip and spoon olive oil into it; sprinkle with parsley and serve.

THE REAL MELITZANOSALATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Prick both the eggplants with a fork a few times and bake on a baking tray for 1 hour.
• Remove the skin, then roughly chop the flesh and place in a colander or sieve to drain any excess moisture.
• Place the eggplant, garlic, parsley, onion, red pepper, tomato, chili, breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper to taste, in a food processor bowl and process until combined but still a little bit coarse.
• With the motor running, add the lemon juice and olive oil alternately, in a steady stream, as if making mayo. The mixture will thicken.
• Transfer to a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours to firm the mixture and allow the flavors to infuse.
• To serve spread on a large shallow serving platter, drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and garnish with black olives.

EGGPLANT SALAD (MELITZANOSALATA)

Steps:

• Prick eggplants, place them in a baking pan and bake in 350F oven for about one hour or until soft.
• Allow skin to shrivel and turn black so as to give a smoky flavor to the salad.
• Peel eggplants whil still hot and chop flesh into small pieces.
• Continue chopping while slowly adding the onion, garlic, tomato, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
• Place in salad bowl and garnish with olives and green pepper rings.