Grilled Eggplant Steaks with Tomatoes and Gremolata

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables and I love how easily it can be enhanced with a sauce (especially if that sauce contains garlic). It can be tricky to cook though - in the same way it absorbs the spices it absorbs oil - like a sponge. So there is a fine line between it being healthy and fat laden.

I’ve found that lightly brushing eggplant with a little oil and grilling is my favorite and the sauce with this recipe - yum. Top the eggplant with some fresh cherry tomatoes and feta and add grilled mushrooms and onions, some fruit and lightly dressed greens and you have a perfect summer dinner.

Ingredients 

Eggplant

1 large eggplant – sliced into ½ inch -¾ inch thick slices

olive oil, salt and pepper for grilling

3–4 tablespoons Gremolata (see below)

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

drizzle olive oil

OPTIONAL – crumbled goat or feta cheese

Gremolata

1 cup packed Italian Parsley ( small stems OK)

2 - 3 garlic cloves minced

Zest of one small lemon, plus 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ cup olive oil

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt and pepper, more to taste

pinch chile flakes

Instructions

Eggplant

Preheat Grill to medium high. Slice eggplant into ½ inch thick slices. Brush both sides with olive oil and salt and grill each side for 4 minutes, or until good grill marks appear.  Stack in a baking dish or bowl and wrap up tightly in foil so they cook all the way through and become translucent.

Gremolata

Place parsley, garlic and zest in a food processor and pulse until chopped.

Add oil, salt & pepper and lemon juice. Pulse again, until uniformly combined. Add chili flakes for a touch of heat if you like. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Tomatoes

Toss the tomatoes with a pinch of salt and some fresh herbs.

Assemble

Lay the eggplant steaks down on a serving dish. Spoon a little gremolata over each one. Top with the tomatoes. Top with crumbled goat or feta if you like. 

Hope you are enjoying the summer and thanks for stopping by.