Warm salad of baked eggplant, peppers and tomatoes
This bright, delicious, and aromatic warm salad of baked eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes makes a delicious accompaniment to shashlik or a light side dish for other meat or fish dishes. This is a slightly shortened version of the famous Caucasian vegetable stew, ajapsandali.
You can roast vegetables in the oven or on the grill—both methods are simple, quick, and affordable. In addition to the ingredients used in this step-by-step recipe, you can add zucchini, hot peppers, potatoes, and other vegetables to the salad, depending on your taste and availability.
Ingredients:
- eggplants – 2 large or 3-4 smaller;
- tomatoes – 4 pcs. (medium size);
- sweet pepper – 1-2 pcs.;
- fresh garlic – 2-3 cloves;
- parsley, cilantro, dill - a bunch;
- unrefined olive or sunflower oil – 2-3 tbsp;
- table salt – a large pinch (to taste);
- ground black pepper and other spices – to taste and desire;
- lemon juice – 1 tsp (optional).
How to make a warm baked vegetable salad
Wash and dry all vegetables thoroughly. There are several ways to roast vegetables in the oven: in foil, in a special heat-resistant bag, or simply in an oven-safe dish. Choose the most convenient option based on your availability of foil or a sleeve, as well as the characteristics of your oven.
When baking "open," you can turn on the grill setting. This will lightly brown the skins of the vegetables, just like on a grill, and the salad will acquire a distinctive, subtle flavor and aroma. With this method, remove the finished baked vegetables from the oven and cover with plastic wrap for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to peel the skins.
Let's take a closer look at baking in foil. Wrap the peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants in thick aluminum foil, making sure there are no holes. Wrap each vegetable separately.
Place the prepared ingredients on a baking sheet and place them on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake at 180-200 degrees Celsius. Peppers and tomatoes can be removed after 20-25 minutes, while eggplants take slightly longer – up to 40-45 minutes, depending on their ripeness and size.
Remove the finished baked vegetables from the oven and let them cool to a comfortable temperature without unwrapping the foil. After 10-15 minutes, when the vegetables no longer feel scorched, you can remove the foil.
Peel the eggplants; the skin should peel away easily if they were cooked properly. You can remove the seeds if desired.
Cut the eggplants into small pieces.
Peel the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes.
Cut the baked peppers into roughly the same size as the eggplant flesh.
The skins of the tomatoes will come off very easily, all that remains is to remove the "spots" from the stems.
Chop the tomatoes, trying to preserve the released juice.
Finely chop the herbs and garlic. You can use any herbs you like – dill, basil, parsley, cilantro, or a little bit of everything.
Place all vegetables and spices in a bowl, add salt and season.
Add oil and a little lemon juice (optional).
Mix.
Serve the salad warm. If it cools during preparation, you can reheat it in the microwave or oven.
A delicious, aromatic and healthy vegetable side dish is ready.
Bon appetit!
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