I made this dish for some new friends that we met sailing in DownEast Maine. Joe told me his favorite vegetable was eggplant, so when they stopped by to see us on their journey, I had to make this for him. Joe loved it and asked me for the recipe; every hostesses golden moment. I could easily be a vegetarian if every vegetable recipe tasted like this. Alas, I served it with grilled pork. This is one of those easy recipes that you can eat hot or at room temperature.
Serves 4
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
HINT: You can even make this a main course by adding pasta. I used the leftovers for lunch the next day. I gently reheated the eggplant on the stove, layered it over some angel-hair pasta and mixed in fresh mozzarella cheese cut into 1 inch squares at the very end.
3 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped with garlic
1 large garlic clove, chopped with parsley
4 tablespoons raw pine nuts
- Lay the eggplant in a serving dish and sprinkle with salt; set aside for 30 minutes. With a towel, blot dry.
- In a large skillet, over high heat until nearly smoking, add the eggplant and stir to coat.
- Once coated, lower the heat to medium, stirring until the eggplant is golden and soft; about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- In a skillet, over medium to low heat, toast the pine nuts until golden brown; do not burn. Set aside.
- Chop fresh parsley and garlic together and toss with the eggplant; add toasted pine nuts.
SERVING: Serve hot or at room temperature.
STORING: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
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