Roasted Eggplant Salad

It is no secret here in my little kitchen that I love eggplant - have always loved them since childhood when my mom made quite a few of my favorites that to this day get me excited - particularly the South Indian delicacies like Ennai Kathrikkai, Sauteed Eggplant, Kathrikkai Rasavangi, Chutta Kathrikkai Pachadi, Vangi Baath, and Stuffed Baby Eggplant.

We harvested the last of the eggplants and onions, along with a ton of Roma tomatoes (to be canned and put away for later use) from our garden this year,  I wanted to make a simple salad that uses the main ingredients fresh from the garden.

The eggplant can be cut into cubes or long slices for this salad to make for an interesting presentation. I went with round discs here. Simply marinate in a balsamic vinaigrette for an hour or so before serving.

Ingredients
eggplant, tomatoes, onions - diced or sliced as preferred
4 to 6 pickled Jalapeño rings, (or as many as needed )
garnish: cilantro, chopped

Vinaigrette:
1 to 2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 to 4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 or 2 cloves of garlic minced or grated finely
salt to taste
optional: paprika, red sumac powders, to taste

Preparation

1. Pan-fry or pan-roast, or oven-roast, or grill, or if we can indulge a bit, deep fry the eggplant, remove, drain, sprinkle with some salt if preferred
2. Combine the eggplant with the rest of the ingredients, dress as desired, cover and allow to rest in the fridge or at room temperature so it marinates and flavors meld
3. Garnish with cilantro, chives, spring onions