• See more detailed instructions on the blog about cooking the eggplant.

If you use a fire grill:

• Bring the temperature of the grill between medium low to low. If it is too hot, the eggplants will burn on the outside before the inside is cooked. Pierce the eggplants in few places and grill them on each side, turning them regularly, until the skin is burned. Depending on their size, you should grill the eggplants somewhere between 20 to 40 minutes or until the skin is evenly charred and the eggplant collapses. The flesh should be really soft.

If you use a gas stove:

• Lay some aluminum foil around the burners of the stove top to make sure that the liquid released by the eggplants won’t cause too much of a mess. Turn regularly with a pair of tongs making sure that the skin is burnt on all sides. Cook until the skin is evenly charred and the flesh of the eggplants very soft. Remove them from the fire and let them rest on a tray for few minutes before you start peeling the skin off.

If you use the oven:

• Preheat oven at 400F/200C.
• Place the eggplants on a baking tray lined with baking paper or tin foil and prick the eggplants with a fork several times .
• Bake them for about 45 minutes or until the flesh of the eggplants is very soft.

How To Grill The Peppers:

• Peppers are best roasted directly on an open fire. A wood grill is the perfect way to do it, but directly on a gas fire stove is perfectly acceptable. Grill them until the skin is black and blistered. Remove them from the stove, let them cool a little bit so you can handle them, then peel off the skin and place them on a plate. When cool, remove the seeds and the end and slice them thinly.

Making the eggplant and peppers salad:

• After grilling, roasting or baking the eggplants allow them to cool, then carefully remove all the skin. Place the eggplants in a sieve and let drain for about half an hour to one hour. This step will remove the juice from the eggplant that is supposed to be bitter.
• Chop with a special wooden/plastic knife made especially for this purpose or with a regular knife.
• Place the eggplants in a bowl and add the red peppers, chopped onion, garlic, parsley, lemon juice and oil. Taste for salt. Mix well and serve chilled with grilled meats, salads, or other appetizers. Goes well as a snack, on a slice of good crusty bread.