Melitsanes

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 3 large eggplants
• 5 large garlic cloves
• 3 slices of white bread without crust (approx. sandwich toast size), can also be dry
• 3 tbsp cream, maybe a little more
• 3 tbsp almonds, ground
• 3 tbsp Parmesan, freshly grated
• 100 ml olive oil, preferably good, if available
• 1 lemon(s), the juice (possibly also 1.5)
• Salt and pepper, white

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Greek eggplant dip, great for grilling

First, stud the eggplants with garlic. To do this, slice the garlic cloves (3-6 slices, depending on the size) and cut slits into the eggplants (one slit per garlic slice), then insert the garlic into the slits. If that’s too much work for you, you can also add the crushed garlic later, but then limit yourself to 2-3 cloves, as they will mellow considerably during the cooking process. Next, prepare the remaining ingredients: Soak the white bread in the cream. If dry bread is best, cut it into small cubes and leave it to cool a few hours in advance. The bread should be completely coated with the cream. Place the bread, cream, olive oil, almonds, and Parmesan cheese in a container that’s at least 1 liter in size and puree. If the bread is thoroughly soaked, it’s sufficient to mix it well with a fork, but the mixture won’t be as homogenous. Ideally, the eggplants should go on the grill right at the beginning so they’re ready to eat. They’re done when they’re really soft; the outside should be dark to slightly burnt. The skin will then be quite crispy and easy to peel off. I hold the eggplant by the stem, score the skin all the way around, and then peel it off in strips downwards with a knife. Finally, mash the eggplant with a fork and add it to the other ingredients. Mash it thoroughly again with the fork or puree it. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. We like it best with fresh flatbread. Variations: You can, of course, vary the ingredients as you like. My grandfather, for example, made his melitsanes with just eggplant, oil, a little lemon juice, pepper, and salt, which naturally brings out the eggplant flavor much more strongly. We’ve also replaced the Parmesan with feta cheese; the sky’s the limit. However, we’ve always gone back to the “original” because we like it best that way. I’ve also read several recipes that call for cooking eggplant in the oven or on aluminum foil directly on the stovetop. I don’t have much experience with this; I’ve only tried it once in the oven, and it didn’t turn out as tasty (probably because I was missing the smoky flavor from the grill). I think it works best on the highest heat, perhaps with the grill function, and until the eggplants are really blackened on the outside.