There are certain vegetables that are always available in the market regardless of the time of year. They somehow manage to always look their best; bright, fresh, and inviting.

Good old dependable Eggplant is one of those.

Almost all cultures have numerous dishes centered around eggplant, and Greece is ofcourse no exception. This versatile vegetable shows up in dips, in appetizers, in main dishes, as well as in many new creative combinations that are popping up to surprise us all the time.

This delicious appetizer is fairly easy to prepare, providing you oven-grill instead of frying, and combined with a few black olives and some crisp fresh village bread, it is an ideal companion to a few glasses of ouzo and a nice conversation with friends.

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants

olive oil to brush

sea salt

sauce:

2 green onions

2 tbsp tomato paste

Filling:

1 green onion chopped

1/3 cup chopped parsley

a large slice of feta

Method:

slice the eggplant into 3/4cm thick slices lengthwise

brush with olive oil

sprinkle with sea salt

place on oven tray lined with parchment paper & grill in a preheated oven till golden

turn the slices over and repeat (oil/salt/grill)

make sure you don’t grill more than 5mns per side, depending on your oven maybe even less, as it may surprise you & burn really fast!

while the eggplant is grilling, prepare your sauce:

slice green onions and saute in a bit of olive oil

add the tomatoes paste, some water, salt, and simmer to make a light tomato sauce

set aside to cool

mix your ingredients for the filling

lay the cooled eggplant slices on a flat surface, place some of the filling (as in picture), roll up, and arrange in a baking dish

spoon some sauce over each and bake in a preheated 200centigarde oven for 20mns

Personally I prefer it as an appetizer as mentioned above, but you can also serve it as a starter if you wish.

Enjoy!