Romanian eggplant salad (spread) recipe

[anna_bananna]

This is a very popular recipe in Romania, especially in the summer and fall. It is served as an appetizer, spread [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Univers,Zurich BT][SIZE=-1]on slices of bread. Goes very well with fresh tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS
2 large eggplants
5 fl oz vegetable oil
1 onion (optional)
mayonnaise (optional)
2 teaspoons milk
salt, to taste

PREPARATION
Pierce the eggplants with a fork (to avoid explosion), then roast them for about 10-15 minutes (until they become soft and liquid is coming out when checking the crust).
Let the eggplants cool down until they can be handled, then peel off the burned skin.
[/SIZE][/FONT]Place the eggplants on a wooden platter and let them drain their juice for 10 minutes.
Smash the eggplants with a wooden knife until they become a paste (don't use a blender or food processor, because they will break the eggplant seeds and make the salad bitter). Place the paste into a bowl and mix with the milk, oil and salt to taste.
Cut the onion in very small pieces (if using) and add to the mixture. You can also add mayonnaise if you want.
Let cool completely and serve on slices of bread.
It can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

 

[CharlieD]

Go figure, I always made this and thought it was a midleeastern dish.

 

[anna_bananna]

I have no idea about the origins of this recipe, it may actually be a Middle-Eastern dish, but it's extremely popular here too...

 

[Claire]

It is funny how many middle eastern foods are in eastern European dishes. Yes, it is called baba ganoush as well. To add a little something extra, I buy eggplant when we are planning a barbecue, pierce and put on the grill. Then toss in the fridge for another day, and make this dish. In the same vein, my husband makes harissa, and when we visited SLovenia right after the iron curtain fell, we found a version of it served with most meat dishes. My brain isn't quite functioning correctly (what else is new) but there's a dish that is layers of philo dough with meat or cheese, a finger food. You get a slice of it. We had it in Slovenia, and the same year a freind went to Turkey and ate the same dish.