Sunday, October 25, 2015

Grilled Pepper and Eggplant Dip


We had an eggplant and extra bell peppers we were trying to decide what to do with.  We really enjoyed this dip.  It went great with homemade pita chips.  It is also really good leftover, just allow the dip to get to room temperature before eating it.  It helps it thin out a little

Ingredients:
2 long eggplants, about 1 pound each
3 green bell peppers
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation and Cooking:
Preheat the Big Green Egg to 300

Prick the eggplants in a few spots with a fork and place the eggplants and the bell peppers on the
hot grate.  Grill the vegetables until charred on all sides ~32 minutes for the eggplants and ~24
minutes for the peppers.  Transfer the grilled eggplants to a plate to cool.  Place the grilled peppers
in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let the peppers cool to room temperature for about 20
minutes (the steam trapped by the plastic wrap helps loosen the skin from the peppers.

Cut the eggplants in half, scrape the flesh out of the charred skin, and place it in a food processor. 
Scrape the burnt skin off the bell peppers, then core and seed them.  Cut the bell peppers into 1
inch pieces and add these and the parsley and garlic to the food processor.  Finely chop the
vegetables, running the food processor in short bursts.  Add the oil and lemon juice.  Taste for
seasoning, adding more lemon juice as necessary and add salt and pepper to taste.  The dip should
be highly seasoned.

Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and serve with crackers, pita chips, carrots or as a spread on
French bread