Grilled Marinated Eggplant

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons capers drained
• 0.8 pound eggplant thick peeled sliced
• 0.3 cup olive oil extra virgin 
• 0.5 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves fresh loosely packed
• 1 medium garlic clove peeled sliced
• 4 servings kosher salt and pepper black freshly ground
• 0.5 teaspoon oregano dried
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper flakes red minced

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• plastic wrap
• grill
• grill pan

Directions

1. Finely chop the parsley with the capers and garlic.
2. Add the oregano and peperoncini and chop everything together.
3. Put the mixture in a bowl, stir in the oil, season with salt and pepper, and reserve.
4. Preheat an outdoor charcoal or gas grill or a grill pan until smoking hot.
5. Put enough eggplant slices on the grill to cover it without crowding. Cook the eggplant until well marked, 3 to 6 minutes, then turn the slices over. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes more.
6. Remove the eggplant from the grill.
7. Pour the vinegar into a shallow bowl. While still hot, dip each eggplant slice into the vinegar and set it aside on a plate. Continue grilling and dipping the eggplant until all the slices are cooked and seasoned.
8. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the parsley mixture onto a platter and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon. Arrange half of the grilled eggplant on the parsley in a single layer. Smear each slice of eggplant with more parsley.
9. Place a second layer of eggplant on top and spread the remaining parsley on it. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and set aside to marinate at room temperature for about 2 hours (or refrigerate for longer).
10. Serve at room temperature.
11. You could make the parsley mixture in a food processor, but I don't. I find hand chopping gives me the somewhat drier texture I prefer.
12. For this recipe, I don't salt or oil the eggplant; I grill it dry. This way, it has a nice chewy texture. I marinate the eggplant as soon as it comes off the grill so the flavor of the marinade penetrates.
13. Reprinted with permission from Salt to Taste: The Keys to Confident, Delicious Cooking by Marco Canora with Catherine Young, © 2009 Rodale Inc.