Roasted Vegetable Salad with Eggplant, Bell Pepper and Tomatoes

Roasting the vegetables

1. A homemade roasted vegetable salad is a very handy appetizer for big gatherings. It’s easy to make, especially if you can roast the vegetables on a grill or in an electric pepper roaster; I use a Bulgarian “chushkopek”, which is extremely convenient. But experience has shown that an ordinary pan works just as well. Thinly sliced vegetables cool quickly, so you don’t need much time to cook.

2. Prepare the vegetables. It’s important that they are all fresh and firm.

   

3. Cut the eggplants into thick strips or in halves.

   If you fry eggplants in vegetable oil, they can soak it up like a sponge. So, to reduce the calories of the dish, I often brush them with oil and place them on a dry, hot pan.

4. Heat a dry pan over medium heat. Brush the eggplants with oil and place them in the pan. For 4-5 small eggplants, 1 tbsp of olive oil is enough.

5. When the underside is browned, brush the top with oil and turn the pieces over. When they are easily pierced with the tip of a knife, they are done.

   

6. Transfer the eggplants to a plate and add another 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan.

7. Remove the stems and seeds from all the peppers, sweet and chili, and cut them into narrow strips.

8. Add the peppers to the hot oil. Fry until soft and lightly browned. While frying, you can stir the peppers with a spatula and press them down a little against the bottom of the pan.

9. Transfer the peppers to the plate with the eggplants so the vegetables cool; this happens quickly.

   

Assembling the salad

1. Cut the cooled vegetables into large pieces: eggplants into cubes, peppers into chunks. Put the vegetables in a salad bowl.

2. Cut the tomatoes in half. If you like, you can fry them briefly in the pan in the remaining oil.

   The salad turns out especially good with small “dark” tomatoes.

3. Cut the sweet red onion into half rings and tear the basil leaves with your fingers. Finely chop the garlic.

4. Add everything to the roasted vegetables in the salad bowl, along with the black brined olives. Don’t use dyed olives; they are an intense black.

   

5. Salt the vegetables lightly, add 0.5 tsp of dried oregano and toss the salad.

   Note that the salad has no dressing; the roasted vegetables have enough oil and moisture to keep it juicy.

Serving

1. Divide the appetizer among individual salad bowls; you can garnish with a sprig of fresh basil. The salad is served slightly warm.

   But if you like, you can chill it. In that case, add a few drops of balsamic vinegar, or lime juice mixed with 1 tbsp of olive oil, as a dressing option. You can also add juicy vegetables to the cold appetizer: peeled cucumbers, celery stalks.