I spent several days with my parents last week. On my last evening there I decided to cook dinner for the three of us. Knowing that my mom enjoys lamb and my dad doesn’t, I decided to make two types of meatballs: lamb for us and beef for my dad. With lamb as the entrée, my mind immediately went to Greek-inspired dishes for the rest of the meal. So, I made tzatziki in which to dip the meatballs and took a shortcut and bought pita bread. For a vegetable side dish, I was leaning toward eggplant.
I wanted to keep the meal light, as I was making a dessert to follow the meal. Rather than breading the eggplant or making a stuffing, I opted to go with a lighter topping of tomatoes and feta. Baked in the oven, there was time for the flavors to meld and for the feta to melt a little. However, on a hot summer day, this dish could be served with a cold topping instead.
This side dish must have been a hit. With only three of us dining and a large eggplant being used, there were only two slices left when the meal was done. This dish definitely will be making an appearance at a Tapas Monday in the near future.
- 1 medium eggplant, ends removed
- 2 small tomatoes, seeded
- 1/2 cup feta
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- salt & pepper
- Heat large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Slice eggplant into 1/2″ wide circles. Place 4 or 5 eggplant slices in pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until tender. Remove from pan and repeat in batches until all slices are cooked.
- Chop tomato into bite-sized pieces. Combine tomatoes, crumbled feta, and basil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat oven to 375. Place eggplant slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Top each slice with 2-3 tablespoons of tomato mixture. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Serve hot.
- Makes 3-4 side servings.
Most So-called Greek dishes are not Greek but Middle Eastern or Turkish. If the Greeks where Muslims then most westerners will turn a blind eye to all this authentic Greek called nonsense. Politics plays a major roll in food especially with this so-called Greek food.