ingredients
- 3 small eggplants or 1 large eggplant
- 1 large heirloom tomato (or 2 regular)
- 1 cup of cherry tomatoes (i like getting different colors…makes it look extra pretty)
- 1 jalapeno- finely chopped ( I remove the ribs and the seeds, but you can keep them in if you like it spicy)
- 1-2 garlic cloves-grated or finely chopped
- 1/2 cup sheeps milk feta (or whatever feta you have on hand)
- 1 cup plain whole yogurt
- 1/2 lemon- squeezed
- 1 lemon zested
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
- 2 tbls finely chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Cracked black pepper and salt to taste
Directions
- Preheat a grill or a pan. Slice the eggplants to 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and let sit outside for 10 minutes. Pat dry before using.
- Drizzle both sides of the eggplant with a nice amount of extra virgin olive oil and season well with salt.
- Grill or pan fry the eggplant on both sides for 10 minutes until they are cooked through and have char grilled marks. Place on the side.
- In a blender place the feta with the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and a little bit of water, blend until completely smooth (you want to Jackson Pollock your salad, so if the yogurt dressing is too thick, than add a little bit more water….you might need 1 tablespoon in total)
- Slice the tomatoes 1/4 inch thick and start, layered the eggplant and the tomatoes, seasoning with salt along the way. When you are done, drizzle over a nice amount of the yogurt sauce. Season well with salt and pepper and then sprinkle over the jalapeño, chives, lemon zest and the pine nuts. Drizzle with a nice amount of olive oil, a little squeeze of lemon juice and then sprinkle over the parsley. You want the dish to be rustic and colorful. I make sure there is always olive oil around he sides…so pretty.
This recipe is perfectly simple, elegant and really highlights all the fresh local flavors.