Melitzanosalata
We randomly found ourselves in Greece last summer and it was essentially a full-time eating adventure. From the time we sat down over our breakfast of thick fatty sour yogurt with local honey, bread, and bloody-red figs to the time we went bloated to bed, our days were filled with thinking about what we would eat next. This meant that we spent lots of time eating snacks, so we wouldn’t get too filled up for more potential snacks. One of our favorite snacks at all times of day was this dip that is incredibly easy to make. You need only a couple of things for it, and apart from the roasting of the eggplants, it takes all of five minutes to make.
Take three medium eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise. Deeply score the fleshy faces and put them in baking dishes you’ve oiled liberally with the best olive oil you can justify buying. Drizzle the skin sides with more high-quality olive oil and roast in a hot oven; 45 minutes at 200 C seems to work well. When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out into a food processor. Add the juice of half a lemon, hell, a whole lemon if you’re feeling lemony, a large glug of outstandingly good dark green olive oil, a good sturdy minim of salt, preferably sea, a good shake of the best dried oregano you can muster, and a garlic clove (or two) pressed; you can omit the garlic if you are nursing or a pussy. Blitz this up so that the mixture is smooth but not baby-food smooth; a little chunkiness is a good thing.
Put it in an aestheically pleasing, appropriately rustic shallow dish, and glug some more shockingly virginal olive oil over the top, sprinkle with a little more salt and oregano, and serve it still warm from the roasting or chilled. You’ll need some good hearty crusty bread, toasted if you aren’t too lazy, to go with it. Eke it out with some olives, cubed feta, etc, and you’ve got a nice light meal for two or an appetizer for several people.
