Grilled Eggplant, Creamed Feta

Hemera

Ingredients

medium-sized eggplants - 2
feta cheese - 7 ounces (200g)
yogurt (preferably sheep's) - 3/4 cup (200g)
chopped basil, parsley, and mint - a tablespoon of each
olive oil
warm flat bread, to serve

Instructions

Slice each eggplant lengthwise into five or six long steaks. Sprinkle with sea salt and allow to stand for up to an hour or so while you make the creamed feta. This salting will ensure the eggplants soak up as little oil as possible.

Crumble the feta into a bowl and mash it with a fork. Stir in the yogurt, 3 tablespoons of water, and the chopped herbs. Season with black pepper, but not salt unless your feta was extraordinarily mild.

Rinse the eggplants gently and pat them dry. Brush with olive oil and place on a grill or a hot grill pan, the ridged sort that sits over the burner. When they are tender-a matter of five or six minutes on each side-and appetizingly charred in patches, lift them off the grill and place on a serving dish. Drizzle immediately with olive oil. How much they absorb will depend on the eggplants but make certain they are all thoroughly soaked. Leave them to cool a little, then serve with the creamed feta and flat bread.

Reprinted from Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater.

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Nigel Slater is the author of a collection of books (including Appetite, The Kitchen Diaries and Tender), presenter of BBC1's "Simple Cooking" and has served as a food columnist for The Observer for 20 years.