Eggplant-Feta Rolls - Appy

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH, 2009

4.5 stars (out of 5)

This was another great recipe shown to us by my sister during her visit last September. I think that they're a fabulous addition to my appetizer collection, and provide some very unique flavours. They are a bit time-consuming, but worth it in the end!

Ingredients:

1-2 large eggplants, cut into thin slices (~10 slices each eggplant)
1 red chili, cut into tiny pieces*
2-3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
3/4 container of feta cheese, crumbled
Juice of one small-medium lemon
Olive oil
Black pepper

{Note. We could not find a red chili, so we substituted this with 1 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to your own level of spiciness). Also see the previous post about how we used this recipe as part of the main course}.

1. First, we took our eggplants and sliced them length-wise into thin slices (see thickness in the second pic below).

2. As we heated a medium skilled over medium-high heat, we cut up the mint into small pieces. This is a bit time-consuming with a knife, so using kitchen scissors may be a good idea.

3. Then, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, we crumbled the feta, and added the lemon juice, mint, and red pepper flakes, and mixed well.

4. When the skillet was hot, added some olive oil and then grilled each side of the eggplant slices for about 2 minutes per side. You want them to be golden and medium soft (tender).

5. Once done, we added a heaping spoonful of the feta mixture to the end of each of the strips (do as they come off the grill).

6. We then rolled them up...

7. ...and stacked with the seam facing down on the plate.

Overall, these had such a different taste than many other appy's I have had, and spiced things up a bit. And they were very delicious! The only changes I would make was to use less oil (they were a bit oily sometimes), and to somehow make them easier to eat (quite messy, which might not be great at a party). We ended up eating them as appy's one night, and then as part of our main dish another night, and they worked well as both (see Caramelized Mushroom & Onion Mashed Potato post). Another great treat from Ash!