Roasted Eggplant
Ok, with all the flavor I was planning for my Greek Week main course (Shrimp Saganaki), I wanted sides that would balance that and be at least a little bit Greek (hmmm, hmmm, Denise!).
Eggplant came to mind and a simple roasting of the eggplant was what I needed. However, unlike roasting a root vegetable or even other spring vegetables, I decided to roast it a little differently based on a picture I’d seen.
It was a great accompaniment and the leftovers I used for a fantastic pasta dish the next night (I’ll post that soon!).
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Time Required:Prep Time – 30min; Cook Time – 1 hour
Ingredients:
2 eggplants (count on 1/2 eggplant per person, but I wanted leftovers!)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Thyme
How to make roasted eggplant:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. Then, taking a knife, carefully make multiple diagonal cuts deep into the eggplant but not cutting the purple skin. Salt and pepper the meaty side of the eggplant and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. It will help draw out a good bit of the moisture.
When ready, pat the eggplant dry.
I had just planted some lemon thyme, so I grabbed 4 sprigs of that and laid it on a baking sheet. Drizzle the eggplant with the olive oil and place meat side down on top of the thyme.
Bake for about an hour. Let cool a bit. Either serve the entire half or scoop it out with a spoon and serve. I did the latter because I had a lot on my plate. It’s not ‘pretty’ but it was very tasty and a great pairing with the rest of the menu!
Important Tips:
Be sure to get some of the water out so it’s not too mushy!
Got Leftovers?:
I made an awesome pasta with spaghetti and feta. Yummy!!
You lost me at “I just planted some lemon thyme” . Looks great, but again, nothing my family would eat. ~ Denise
Denise, you need to strap your family to chairs, pry their mouths open, and make them eat things like this. They really don’t know what they are missing!! Best part, this is something you can ‘hide’ in other dishes that they would eat and not know any better!! I’ll give you some ideas. ~Melissa
Ummm….I’m good. Thanks! ~Denise