Melitzanosalata

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 400 g eggplant(s), grilled, from the jar
• 2 small garlic cloves
• 7 walnuts
• 5 tomatoes, dried in oil
• 70 g feta cheese
• 1 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed, more if needed
• some salt
• possibly sugar or agave syrup
• some olive oil
• n. B. basil leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

Dip great for grilling

Crack the walnuts and roast them in a pan without fat until they smell slightly fragrant. Then let the nuts cool slightly. Place the grilled eggplant in a bowl. Crush in the garlic. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces. Roughly chop the walnuts and basil leaves. Crumble the feta cheese. Stir everything into the eggplant. Add a little olive oil. For the lemon juice, squeeze the lemon. You can also add a bit of the zest for a subtle flavor. Season the mixture with lemon juice, salt, and sugar. Tip: I always like to use agave syrup for this because it spreads well. It’s best to let the dip sit for a few hours and then season again if necessary. Melitzanosalata tastes great on toasted bread or as a side dish at a barbecue. Note: You can, of course, grill eggplant yourself, but I recommend a charcoal grill, as this dip benefits from the smoky flavor. You could certainly achieve this with smoked salt. However, I discovered at my local Turkish delicatessen that they offer the eggplants pre-grilled in a jar. The consistency is almost like a coarse puree. They taste excellent, and the price is reasonable.