"Grenade" Appetizer for Defender's Day (Feb 23)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   First, let's picture what we're recreating. This is what an old pineapple-style hand grenade looks like — a 1915 design, where all the details are easy to see. It's shaped like a lemon, with 4 rows of little "cells" (8 to a ring), plus a top cap and a handle. Those cells are what we'll mimic with olives. I used long Kalamata olives, so I could only manage 3 rows — that's what changes the number of olives you'll need.

2. Step 2:

   

   The filling ingredients are, of course, very flexible. The key is to have eggplant and pitted olives on hand.

3. Step 3:

   

   Cut the eggplant into rounds about 2½–3 inches (6–7 cm) wide. From the straight-sided rounds, peel off the skin very thinly and save it — it'll be used to make the "handles" of our grenades.

4. Step 4:

   

   Cut the eggplant flesh into small cubes (I aimed for about ¼ inch / 5 mm).

5. Step 5:

   

   Mix the egg into the diced eggplant and let it marinate for an hour. Thanks to Shura for the tip — it's a reliable way to stop eggplant from drinking up all the oil while frying. If excess oil isn't a concern for you, you can skip this step, but then you'll need more oil to fry.

6. Step 6:

   

   While the eggplant marinates, there's just enough time for the rest of the prep. Cut the bread into slices about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick.

7. Step 7:

   

   Toast it until it's almost charred.

8. Step 8:

   

   Finely chop the walnuts.

9. Step 9:

   

   Finely chop the garlic (or press it through a garlic press for extra kick).

10. Step 10:

    

    Roughly chop the fresh herbs.

11. Step 11:

    

    Finely chop the onion.

12. Step 12:

    

    Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of oil until browned.

13. Step 13:

    

    Cut the olives in half lengthwise.

14. Step 14:

    

    Cut small squares from the eggplant skin; if needed, scrape off any leftover flesh inside so the skin becomes pliable.

15. Step 15:

    

    Roll the eggplant skin squares into little tubes.

16. Step 16:

    

    Secure each with a toothpick and break off any excess. The handles are, of course, inedible — they're just for decoration.

17. Step 17:

    

    By now the eggplant should be done marinating. Fry it in the remaining oil until browned — it will shrink noticeably in volume.

18. Step 18:

    

    Thoroughly mix all the ingredients into the eggplant, except the olives and eggplant-skin handles, and let the warm mixture cool for about 20 minutes.

19. Step 19:

    

    Divide the mixture into roughly 5 portions, shape each into a grenade half, pack it firmly in your hands, and set it on a slice of toast.

20. Step 20:

    

    Trim off the excess bread (use a knife with a pointed tip — a rounded one makes this very awkward).

21. Step 21:

    

    Tuck the grenade "handle" in between the filling and the toast.

22. Step 22:

    

    Arrange the olive halves as the grenade's "cells" and carefully press the whole "half-grenade" together with your palm. Done!