The famous Odessa aubergine dip comes from the Greek melitzanosalata. There was a time when the Greeks were the third part of the population of Odessa. Like many other recipes brought by immigrants to their new homeland, melitzanosalata has changed slightly over time. I suggest you cook the original version, as they make it in the northern Greece. And if melitzanosalata is a snack and there is nothing else, then it would be great to supplement it with cornbread and top it with crushed feta.
The famous Odessa aubergine dip comes from the Greek melitzanosalata. There was a time when the Greeks were the third part of the population of Odessa. Like many other recipes brought by immigrants to their new homeland, melitzanosalata has changed slightly over time. I suggest you cook the original version, as they make it in the northern Greece. And if melitzanosalata is a snack and there is nothing else, then it would be great to supplement it with cornbread and top it with crushed feta.- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
- Serves: 6-8
- Difficulty: easy
- Course: appetizer
- Cookware: knife
- Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients
- 1 kg aubergines
- 300 g tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- juice of ½ lemon
- oregano
- ½ green chili, finely chopped
- ¼ bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- freshly ground black pepper
- sea salt
Cooking method
Step 1
Heat the oven to 200°C. Prick the aubergines with a fork in several places, and bake in the oven until soft. Once done, transfer the aubergines to a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave for 10 minutes. Then peel the aubergine flesh with a tablespoon, put in a cotton towel, squeeze well, and then chop finely. Transfer the flesh to a bowl and set aside.
Step 2
Cut the tomatoes in half and grate so that the tomato skins remain in your hands. Add tomato pulp, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, black pepper, salt to the aubergines and mix thoroughly. Add green chili peppers for the heat. Sprinkle with parsley. Refrigerate and serve.
My tips and tricks:
Mouth-watering flavour of smoky aubergines baked in hot coals, without it the dish won’t ‘sound’ as it should. But what if you don’t have a barbecue at hand or you cook in winter and don’t even want to stick your nose out into the street again? If you have a gas stove turn the rings to a low heat, prick the aubergines with a fork in several places and wrap in baking foil (so there is less to clean later). Lay the aubergines directly on the rings and cook until tender, turning occasionally.
If the stove is electric, we will cook aubergines in the oven. But not just like that, we will bake them with woodchips from fruit trees to get the smoky flavour. To do this, heat the oven to 230˚С, cover the baking sheet with foil, add a thin layer of woodchips so that they completely cover the baking sheet. Prick the aubergines with a fork in several places, put on woodchips and bake until tender. There is always a way out 😉
- 1 kg aubergines
- 300 g tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- juice of ½ lemon
- oregano
- ½ green chili, finely chopped
- ¼ bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- freshly ground black pepper
- sea salt
- Heat the oven to 200°C. Prick the aubergines with a fork in several places, and bake in the oven until soft. Once done, transfer the aubergines to a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave for 10 minutes. Then peel the aubergine flesh with a tablespoon, put in a cotton towel, squeeze well, and then chop finely. Transfer the flesh to a bowl and set aside.
- Cut the tomatoes in half and grate so that the tomato skins remain in your hands. Add tomato pulp, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, black pepper, salt to the aubergines and mix thoroughly. Add green chili peppers for the heat. Sprinkle with parsley. Refrigerate and serve.
If the stove is electric, we will cook aubergines in the oven. But not just like that, we will bake them with woodchips from fruit trees to get the smoky flavour. To do this, heat the oven to 230˚С, cover the baking sheet with foil, add a thin layer of woodchips so that they completely cover the baking sheet. Prick the aubergines with a fork in several places, put on woodchips and bake until tender. There is always a way out 😉