Egyptian Eggplant Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Salad - 10g Carbs, 4g Fiber
Recipe By:
Servings: 8
Preparation Time :0:00
Categories: Low Cal (Less than 300 cals) Lower Carbs Meze
3 pounds eggplant -- sliced 1/2-inch thick salt
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil -- to 1 cup, as needed
1 large ripe tomato -- peeled if desired, seeded, and chopped
1 large red bell pepper -- seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
freshly ground black pepper -- to taste
Lay the eggplant pieces on some paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Leave them to drain of their bitter juices for 30 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.
Preheat a ridged cast-iron griddle over high heat, prepare a charcoal fire, or preheat a gas grill on high for 15 minutes. Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil on both sides and cook until streaked with black grid marks and beginning to turn light golden, about 8 minutes in all. You might use up to 3/4 cup of olive doing this. Remove from the griddle or grill, let cool, and dice a little
smaller than bite size.
In a large serving bowl, toss the eggplant together with the tomato, bell pepper, mint, and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, toss again, and serve.
Makes 8 meze servings, starters
Author Note: Alexandria, with a population of nearly 6 million, is the second largest city in Egypt and has long been a summer holiday escape for heat- and dust-beaten Cairenes, many who have summer condos and homes on the beach to the west of the city. Along the coastal road, or corniche, are many, what I call, reassurance-palaces - huge establishments ready to feed big families and parties and offering many different meze. This caponata-like 'salata badhinjan' or eggplant salad made with eggplant, tomato, red bell peppers, and olive oil, was served as part of a meze table at the huge Tikka Grill on the corniche when I ate there some years ago. It was delightful, along with a host of other meze, all of which we followed with
batter-fried sea bream.
Cuisine: "Egyptian"
Source: "Little Foods of the Mediterranean by Clifford Wright, 2003"
S(Formatted by Chupa Babi): "Sept 2012"
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 223 Calories; 21g Fat (79.6% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 6mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 2 Vegetable; 4 Fat
