Melizzano Despina - Eggplant Dip - Byron Ayanoglu - The New Vegetarian Gourmet

[Guest guest]

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Melizzano Despina - Eggplant Dip

 

Recipe By : Byron Ayanoglu - The New Vegetarian Gourmet

Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Appetizers Dips And Spreads

Vegetarian

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound)

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 onion

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

Few sprigs fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Brush the eggplant lightly with vegetable oil. Using a fork, pierce the skin

lightly at 1-inch intervals. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or

until eggplant is very soft and the skin is dark brown and caved in.

 

Transfer eggplant to a working surface. Cut off 1 inch at the stem end and

discard (this part never quite cooks through). Peel the eggplant by picking at

an edge from the cut end, then pulling upward. The skin should come off easily

in strips.

 

Cut the eggplant lengthwise and place each half with the interior facing you.

With a spoon scoop out the tongues of seed-pods, leaving as much of the flesh as

possible. To remove the additional seed-pods hiding inside, cut each piece of

eggplant in half and repeat the deseeding procedure. Once deseeded, let cleaned

eggplant flesh sit to shed some of its excess water.

 

Transfer drained eggplant flesh to a bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mash and then

whip the pulp until smooth and very soft. Coarsely grate onion directly into the

eggplant (the onion juice that results is very important to this dip). Add lemon

juice and whip with a wooden spoon until perfectly integrated. Keep beating and

add olive oil in a very thin stream; the result should be a frothy, light

colored emulsion. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving

bowl and garnish with chopped parsley.

 

1001 Things to do with eggplant @

http://home.att.net/~ashburysaubergines/index.html

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

NOTES : This dip can be served immediately or it can wait, covered and

unrefrigerated, for up to 2 hours. If refrigerated, let it come back to room

temperature and give it a couple of stirs before serving.