Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Grilled Red Pepper, Eggplant, and Garlic Relish

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

  • Author: Mike Vrobel
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

Description

Fire roasted red peppers, eggplant, and garlic make a fine dip.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 large eggplant
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 1 jalapeno pepper (optional)
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons Sunflower oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more if needed)

Instructions

  1. Fire roast the peppers, eggplant, and garlic: Set up the grill for high heat, and put the peppers and eggplant directly over the fire. Skewer the garlic on a toothpick and set it near the hot fire, but not directly over the flames. Cook, giving the peppers and eggplant a quarter turn every five minutes or so. The garlic is done when it is browned on both sides and a little soft, about ten minutes. The peppers are done when they are completely blackened; the eggplant is done when it is blackened and deflated. The jalapeño will take about ten minutes; the bell peppers and eggplant will take about twenty minutes. Don’t worry about burning the peppers or eggplant - they should be as blackened as possible. As the vegetables finish cooking, move them into a large bowl, cover, and let them steam for about ten minutes to loosen the blackened skin.
  2. Peel and stem the vegetables, make the relish: Pull the garlic cloves from the toothpick, drop them in a running food processor, and let it run until the garlic is completely minced. Turn off the processor. Peel the blackened skin from the peppers, then tear the stem end off and scrape out the seeds on the inside. Put the pepper flesh into the food processor. Cut the stem from eggplant, peel away the blackened skin, and cut the eggplant flesh into rough chunks. Put the eggplant chunks in the food processor. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, pour in the sunflower oil, and pulse the food processor with one second pulses until the peppers and eggplant are minced - you want the consistency of a relish and not a smooth paste - which should take about ten one second pulses, scraping down the sides of the food processor as necessary. Taste the relish and add more salt if needed (I needed an extra quarter teaspoon of kosher salt.)

Notes

  • This is a great side dish if you are already cooking the main course over indirect heat. In the pictures, my main course is out of the frame, on the indirect side of the grill, while the peppers and eggplant cook over direct heat. The only trick is keeping the lid closed as much as possible while cooking with indirect heat - every time you dump the heat out, the grill has to reheat before the main course starts cooking again.
  • When you’re peeling, it’s OK if some of the blackened skin and seeds stick to the peppers. Clean them as much as possible, but don’t sweat it if there are some last bits that you can’t quite get. A little bit of charred skin adds character to the dip. The eggplant skin has to go, though; it is tough and chewy and doesn’t break down much in the food processor.
  • No food processor? No worries. Mince everything fine and stir it together, saving as much of the juices as possible and adding them to the bowl.

Tools

  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Cook Time: 30 min
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Grilling
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean

Find it online: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/grilled-red-pepper-eggplant-and-garlic-relish/