Dried, Grilled Eggplant Slices

[Abra]

I bought these in Aix en Provence in a store that had a lot of Middle Eastern groceries. Google shows me Turkish dried eggplants, but those seem to be hollowed out halves for stuffing, as opposed to slices. What's the best thing to do with what I have?

[kitchenhacker]

Have you tried nibbling on one? If so, what does it taste like? What's the texture?

Would they be good substrates for dips or spreads?

I could see, possibly, using these in moussaka (or something similar)...

[nickrey]

One primary dish for these is marinated dried eggplants in oil (in Italian: "Melanzane secche sott'olio").

Ingredients:

Dried eggplant

Fresh Italian Parsley

Garlic

Vinegar

Oil

Basically, you boil them briefly (around two minutes) in a water/vinegar mix (20:1 ratio).

Drain well and leave to dry (not back to where they were but just to a texture similar to grilled eggplant).

Char, peel and seed red capsicum and cut into strips.

Cut garlic into slices.

Sterilise jars and put in a layer of eggplant followed by a layer of garlic, then a layer of capsicum, then fresh parsley. Continue layering until you reach the top of the jar.

Cover with oil and leave to mature for around a month in a cool dark place (a cellar is ideal).

Use as part of an antipasto plate, on pizzas, etc.

[Abra]

I love that idea, using them for an antipasto salady-type dish. I don't have a month before I need to serve them, but I imagine that even a quicker version of that would be good. I'm going to go start them right now!

[OliverB]

soak and then use. Kind of like dried mushrooms in a way.

[ddueck]

From the picture, I might consider making sandals out of them.