Eggplant has a fleshy, meaty texture that makes it suitable for many types of dishes. This colorful marinated eggplant recipe comes from Eastern Europe and is notable for its pungent garlic taste and acid flavor imparted by the vinegar.
The marinated eggplant is served cold and it is a good side dish for a cold-cut platter or a main entrée.
Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants
1 sweet red pepper
1 sweet green pepper
1 large tomato
1 head of garlic (8 or 10 cloves) crushed
4 Tbsp olive or canola oil
6 Tbsp wine or balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Preparation:
The eggplant needs to be peeled and sliced and then baked or cooked until tender. The fastest way to
cook it is to place it in a microwave oven on high setting for 9 to 10 minutes. While the eggplant cools,
place the sliced tomato and peppers in the microwave for 6 minutes. This will soften the peppers
without making them mushy.
Layer the slices of eggplant, pepper and tomato on a deep platter or dish.
Pour any extra juice from the tomato on the vegetables.
Add the garlic, salt and pepper to the layer, and pour some of the oil and vinegar over the layer.
Repeat for a second layer. Press the layered vegetables with the back of a
large spoon so that all the vegetables are well packed. Cover the dish
and let it rest a couple of hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator
to allow the flavors to diffuse.