Eggplant & Garlic – Heaven in Your Mouth

Now I know for sure a marriage of eggplant and garlic makes one of the best tastes ever. Simply, this summer I have fallen in love with that flavor. I don’t know if it is because I miss so badly our vacation in Greece, so I am trying to make it up in my kitchen, or if it is something else... Anyways, the last few days in my home you could mostly smell that powerful aroma. All week long I was making dishes from the great Greek cuisine. I found two nice recipes that really support my theory of the fabulous eggplant & garlic combo. Hope you will enjoy them too.

I went through my pictures from our last visit to Greece and I picked up few of them to post here too.

Eggplant with Mozzarella

 

You need:

2 eggplants, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
250g (9 oz) mozzarella cheese
4 cloves garlic, mashed
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Fresh basil leaves
Olive oil for frying

Steps:

1. Turn the oven to 220C (425F).
2. Wash and slice eggplants, add salt and leave for about 20 minutes to reduce the bitterness. Use paper towels to drain the liquid from eggplant. Rinse eggplant under cold water and dry by using paper towels.
3. Fry them in olive oil until lightly golden brown. Put fried eggplant slices on paper to drain off oil.
4. Mash garlic and add salt and pepper.
5. Slice tomato and mozzarella cheese.
6. Wash basil leaves.
7. In a baking pan make these layers:

• slice of fried eggplant
• mozzarella cheese slice
• coated garlic
• tomato slice
• mozzarella cheese slice
• salt and black pepper
• basil leaves
• finish with the eggplant.

Put more layers if you want. Once created, put the eggplant in the oven and bake just until cheese is melted, about 5 to 8 min.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.

Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper

 You need:

• 1 large eggplant, sliced and cut in 1-inch strips
• 1 large onion, quartered with the separated layers
• 2 red peppers, cut in 1-inch strips
• 3 cloves of garlic, mashed
• Olive oil
• 1 Tbs. of lemon juice
• 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese
• Salt and pepper

Steps:

1. Cut the vegetables.
2. Preheat the oven to 230C (450F).
3. Sprinkle eggplant, red peppers and onion with olive oil and seasoning and roast until done, about 30 minutes. Let them cool.
4. Transfer roasted vegetable to the bowl and toss with lemon juice, mashed garlic and feta cheese.
5. Serve it with toasted French bread.

Americans, that's a real Gyro!

My favorite city - Thessaloniki

Olive fields

Rebuilt village, Sithonia

Time to rest, Nikiti, Sithonia

Amazing beech, Sithonia

White oleanders by the road

Nothing smells better than pine trees

Gorgeous nature

Little garden

View from the cozy restaurant