Roasted Eggplant Dip

The eggplant is one vegetable that always grows well in our garden here in Umbria, no matter what the weather. Last summer we had one of the wettest summers in history, and although our other vegetables gave up the fight, our eggplant plants kept producing. This summer, we had the hottest July with temperatures close to a hundred degrees day after day, and our eggplants thrived. Having a bounty of fresh eggplant in the garden is a wonderful thing, but then once picked, I have to find ways to prepare them. This summer I have prepared eggplant in just about any manner I can think of, including roasting it to make a tasty dip. This dip is great as a light snack served with whole grain crackers or spread across warm slices of crusty Italian bread. I even like to use this dip as a spread when I am making my favorite veggies wraps.

This dip uses a minimal amount of oil, although olive oil is a heart-healthy fat. I am sharing the basic recipe below, but you could also add a couple of sun-dried tomatoes, or drizzle some oil mixed with a teaspoon of basil pesto on top with a sprinkling of lightly toasted walnuts. I added one small chili pepper for a little heat because my husband likes everything spicy, but you can skip the hot pepper if you prefer. When picking eggplants for this recipes, choose small, firm-skinned eggplants without blemishes. Small eggplants will not be bitter and will therefore not require salting in this recipe.

• In addition to featuring a host of vitamins and minerals, eggplant also contains important phytonutrients, many which have antioxidant activity.
• A minimal amounts of heart healthy olive oil is used in this recipe keeping the recipe a healthy low fat snack option.