Smoky Roasted Eggplant Spread

1. Preheat Oven

Preheat your oven to 400°F to ensure it's hot enough to roast the eggplants properly.

2. Prepare Eggplants

Take your 2 medium eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise. Sprinkle each half with a good pinch of salt and fresh-ground black pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Place the eggplants cut side down on a baking sheet.

3. Roast Eggplants

Roast the eggplants in the oven until they are very soft; you’ll know they’re done when the stem end is very tender.

4. Cool and Scrape Eggplants

Once the eggplants are roasted and soft, remove them from the oven and let them cool until you can handle them comfortably. After they have cooled, scrape the flesh out of the skins into a bowl.

5. Prepare Spread

To your eggplant purée, add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, ¼ cup of olive oil, a pinch of salt, fresh-ground black pepper to taste, the pounded garlic clove, and 2 to 4 tablespoons of chopped parsley or cilantro. Mix everything well to combine all the flavors.

6. Adjust Seasoning

Taste the spread, and if you feel it needs a bit more brightness, adjust with a little more salt or lemon juice.