By: Alina Buzgar, News Editor
I won’t lie. This dish is delicious but weird enough that the faint at heart might not give it a shot while the gourmand will jump on the opportunity to sample it. If you do try it you will surely find that it makes for a pretty great appetizer. (It might be subjective when I say that.) Romanians boast that it is the nation’s staple dish and you will find it in every home and restaurant in the country as an appetizer.
Courtesy of Alina Buzgar
The recipe is pretty straightforward so it is perfect if you are looking for an exotic, out of this world dish to impress your house guests. Take the three eggplants and roast them in the oven. Have the oven heated to 430-450F and place the eggplant in a pan. They will take about 25-30 minutes to roast – basically they will become all gooey inside and the peel will be tough to the touch.
Once that is done just take them out and let them cool down – that’s another 20 minutes. You will be able to easily peel off the crust and the mushy Klingon looking insides (go StarTrek!) will be easy to remove. Dice the roasted, cleaned eggplant vigorously until they become semi-liquid.
Now it’s time for the magic to happen. Add the finely grated onion to the mix and 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and a pinch of salt. Use a mixer to beat the mix for about 3 minutes on medium speed. You can serve it with fresh sour bread, pita, or chapati along with tomatoes. Voila! Enjoy!
Courtesy of Alina Buzgar
Ingredients:
3 fully grown fresh eggplants
1 small onion (or half of a full size onion)
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
pinch of salt
Prep time – 1 hour Cooking time – 5 minutes Difficulty: easy Cost: cheap
Bonus recipe! If you want to make your own mayonnaise it’s not as hard as you might think and it’s healthy and delicious. Separate the yolk of one egg and add 1 teaspoon of plain mustard. Mix them with oil (added gradually one spoonful at a time) until it takes the consistency of mayonnaise. That’s it!
Bonus tip! If you find you really love this recipe you can avoid the long(ish) prep time by roasting many eggplants at once and portioning them in separate bags in the freezer for the next time you are in the mood for a delicious appetizer or a healthy dip.
I hope you enjoy this dish and share your culinary adventures with me in the comments below.