I casually assembled this delicious salad and turned it into the perfect summer lunch!
I wish I could say it is my recipe but this salad is a very common dish in places like Turkey, Greece or Morocco. All I did was to assemble the fresh summer ingredients available in my fridge and put them together to create the vibrant flavours of these countries. I sprinkled all the ingredients with a bit of cracked pepper and Sumac to give it some warmth.
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of mint leaves. chopped finely. Plus extra for garnish.
- 1/2 cup of fresh soft Ricotta
- Eggs (one egg per plate)
- Baby roma tomatoes, halved
- Small Lebanese cucumbers, halved lengthways
- 1 cup of mixed olives
- 1 tablespoon of Sumac or Zaatar
- Extra virgin olive oil. To drizzle
- Cracked black pepercorns
- Sea salt flakes
Method
- Cut the eggplant into lengthways slices using a mandolin. Salt the slices and brush each side with olive oil.
- Grill for a few minutes until charred on both sides. Put them aside and let them cool.
- Stir the chopped mint into the Ricotta until well combined. Season with a bit of salt.
- When the eggplant is cold spread a heaped tablespoon of Ricotta mixture on each slice and roll up to enclose. Set aside.
- Place the eggs in a pan, cover with hot water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes for a soft-boiled egg. Remove the eggs and put them into ice water. When ready peel them and halve them.
- To serve, divide all the ingredients, eggplant rolls, eggs, tomatoes, cucumber and olives among the serving plates. Sprinkle the eggs with Sumac, cracked pepper and salt flakes.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Tips
- Sumac is a middle eastern and Mediterranean spice made from dried berries. Zaatar is Middle Eastern spice. Both spices are tangy and delicious.
- Serve this salad with a nice warm Lebanese or Souvlaki bread.
Perth to Paris Recipes 