A delicious dip

In the middle of summer, mezze and outdoor dining are at their best. The same goes for aubergines that are in season now. So it’s all about the aubergine dip today.

Head straight to the recipe.

It is true, aubergines have either huge fans or haters. There are many aubergine dips around, as a Middle-Eastern/Balkan favourite, this wonderful and refreshing dip could not be missing from the Greek repertoire. It is indeed a classic. Aubergine salad accompanies our grills, enriches our mezze (tapas style) dining, and makes us better humans as it doesn’t only satisfy hunger, its divine taste elevates our spirit. And yes, if you haven’t guessed so far I love aubergines with a passion.

Traditionally, this dip is very simple and it often accompanies a BBQ. If you have the fire on, it is ideal to wrap a few aubergines in foil and let them cook along with your steak. The only thing you will need to do after is peel off the skins, the flesh is soft with a few chunky bits, then add a bit of vinegar, salt, freshly ground pepper and parsley. The traditional, smokey version described above only requires a fork and 5 minutes of your time.

I am going to give you a recipe for a fancier aubergine salad. It is refreshing, yet creamy and nutty as there are walnuts and spicy feta cheese added to the mix. This is the one version I absolutely love, the recipe is by my friend Kostas who has no online presence whatsoever, but do think of us when you savour it!

Print Recipe

Aubergine dip, melitzanosalata

Ingredients

• 4 large aubergines
• 100 gr of feta cheese
• 100 gr of walnuts ground
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 60 ml olive oil ½ cup
• 5-6 stalks of parsley for its leaves, keep a few for decoration
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Wash the aubergines and pierce them with a fork.
• Warp in foil and place in the grill on 200 C for 35-40 minutes. If you using BBQ, pierce to check for softness, cooking time depends on how strong your fire is.
• Once done, set aside to cool for a bit, unwrap them and let the juices ran.
• Run a cut along the aubergine and scoop out the flesh using a fork.
• You can mash the aubergine flesh with your fork or leave this part for your food processor.
• Add in the food processor the aubergine flesh,mashed garlic, walnuts, half the olive oil, vinegar, parsley leaves and a bit of seasoning.
• Give it a whizz, make sure your mix is cool enough, add the feta cheese and the rest of the olive oil.
• Leave it in the fridge to set.

Enjoy the aubergine salad as a spread with grissini or a loaf of fresh bread or pitta bread or whatever takes your fancy.

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From Athens with love,

Eugenia

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