Last year I was at a BBQ at a friend’s house and someone served this grilled eggplant that I devoured: it tasted both caramelized and tangy—complex for the humble eggplant. When I asked her the ingredients, I was shocked. Only one ingredient was added to the eggplant and it has this much flavor?
Oh yes, it’s true.
Since I like to shake things up, I also added the Il Boschetto coarse salt, which I found while strolling the aisles of Dean & Deluca in SoHo. The “esotica” blend contains chili pepper, onion, parsley and pink pepper. I plan on adding it to many other dishes.
Once you see how easy it is to make this grilled eggplant, it just might become a staple during grilling season—or anytime.
Grilled Eggplant
Serves 4-6 as a side dish
Ingredients
1 eggplant, washed + sliced into 1/2-inch thick circles
Balsamic vinegar (enough to cover the eggplant in a bowl)
Il Boschetto salt blend
If you don’t don’t have the salt above (though I highly recommend it!), then use sea salt + freshly-ground pepper—and perhaps a pinch of crushed chili pepper, all to taste
Olive oil
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (enough to garnish)
Make the dish
Slice eggplant into 1/2-inch thick circles and then submerge in enough balsamic vinegar to cover the eggplant. Let marinate for 10-15 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with the Il Boschetto salt blend (or some sea salt, freshly-ground pepper and crushed chili pepper, to taste).
Heat up about 1 tablespoon of olive oil a grilling pan over medium heat. Grill eggplant slices for about 8-10 minutes on each side. You may want to add some additional vinegar to the slices with a spoon as they cook, but that’s not essential. Remove from pan, sprinkle with parsley—and serve.
Need help planning dinner? Tracey Ceurvels invites you into her virtual kitchen on her blog, The Busy Hedonist, where she shares her creations + discoveries with you. Tracey also offers a weekly dinner plan for time-crunched food lovers that includes recipes + shopping lists to make dinnertime stress-free. Tracey has written about food + travel for such publications as The Boston Globe, PAPER magazine, Relish, Haute Living and many other publications. Stay tuned for her food and travel writing experience that takes place this October in Tuscany + Rome.
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