melanzana salata from meltemi, rodos

Meltemi on the beach in Rhodes makes the most beautiful melanzana salad (remember they call dips salad so it's really a dip).
It's cooked eggplant (I think they cook them in the oven like you do with a babaganoush) and then roughly broken up into chunks and they serve it drizzled with olive oil and parsley, pine nuts and red onion sliced thinly. It's delicious.

Cretan food

Boureki - like a moussaka but with zucchini and potato.  Pastry on top.  Delicious.

Mum's favourite - Cretan salad.  With dakos (softened bread with pureed tomatoes) and mizithra (a creamy mild cheese, generously served)

The language school gang

YUM - cheese filled pastry rolled in honey for dessert.  Cretans ALWAYS give you raki and glyka (sweets) complimentary after every meal.

Fishies

μελιτζάνα IMAM

Serves 8-10


6 diced tomatoes
7 pulsed tomatoes
3-4 red onions chopped into wedges (may be too much. Depends on your taste)
1 head garlic, sliced
400g tub feta
10 Eggplants cut in half horizontally

Bunch parsley, rip ends off. Leave some small stalks on. Chop up into small pieces.

Stage 1: Slice eggplants in half horizontally.  Drizzle with olive oil and salt and put in an oven at 200C until soft not black.

Stage 2: Fry onions in a saucepan with lots of oil on a gentle heat.

Stage 3: Add garlic.  Add salt and pepper.


Stage 4: Add pulsed tomatoes when onions are a little soft (not brown).

Stage 5: After ten mins add the chopped tomatoes.

Stage 6: Put lid on and keep letting tomato mixture boil. Add a good amount of dried oregano.

Stage 7: Add parsley.

Step 8: Take off the heat. Leave to cool a bit.  Crumble a 400g tub feta and stir in. *It is important to let the mixture cool before adding the feta so it doesn't just melt - you want it to remain whole.

Step 9: When eggplants are soft take out of the oven. Not black. Squash the flesh down in them with a fork.

Step 10: Spoon tomato mixture into the eggplants.

Step 11: Put back in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Step 12: Serve with some crusty bread and a simple salad.

Any leftover mix? Stir it with egg to make a yummy scram/omelette.