Grilled eggplant

Melanzana grigliata
Burned on one side and mess on the other. That pretty much sums up my experience with grilled eggplant, until I decided to give it a final try. This time I took the time (and the extra bother and dish washing) to salt, press and rinse the eggplants before use, and – hurrah – it worked. So eggplants will definitely be among the stables in our summer menus as a perfect accompaniment to salumi and other types of antipasti.

Fresh herbs are essential to the tastiness of grilled eggplants. If you have not got basil, you could use oregano, mint or marjoram. Or if possible try the royal-deluxe version with combination of fresh parsley, basil and salvia.

Ingredients
2 eggplants
salt
Olive oil
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
Fresh basil
Grated lemon zest

Preparation
Cut the eggplants in ½ cm thick lengthwise slices.
Put them on a plate, sprinkle with salt and use another plate to hold them down.
Leave the eggplant in the salt for at least 30 minutes.
Rinse off the salt and pour some olive oil over the eggplant slices
Heat up the barbecue (or a griddle) and roast the eggplant for several minutes on both sides
Sprinkle with vinegar, when the frying has finished
Just before serving top the eggplants with chopped garlic, basil and lemon zest.