Eggplant, Bell Pepper, and Tomato Salad with Garlic

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make eggplant, bell pepper, and tomato salad with garlic? Gather all the vegetables you'll need. For the onion, go with red, shallot, or white — those varieties have a milder flavor and are ideal for salads.

2. Step 2:

   

   Start with the eggplant. Rinse it under running water, trim off the stems, and cut it into rounds about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick. Then cut each round in half or into quarters. If your eggplants are large, cut each round into 8 or more pieces. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt, cover with cold water, and let it sit for 10–15 minutes. Then drain and gently squeeze out the excess moisture.

3. Step 3:

   

   Rinse the bell pepper, tomatoes, and the peeled onion and garlic in clean water. Cut the pepper in half and remove the seeds, core, and stem.

4. Step 4:

   

   Heat a little vegetable oil in a skillet and add the eggplant pieces to fry over high heat. Stir them so they don't burn, and cook until the sides turn golden (it took me about 5 minutes). Because the eggplant was soaked in salt water beforehand, it soaks up far less oil while frying.

5. Step 5:

   

   Transfer the fried eggplant to paper towels to blot off the excess oil.

6. Step 6:

   

   Meanwhile, cut the bell pepper into thin half-rings. For a prettier finished dish, I usually use peppers of different colors.

7. Step 7:

   

   Cut the onion into thin rings or half-rings. Mince the garlic as finely as you can with a knife.

8. Step 8:

   

   Cut the tomatoes in half, then slice each half into thin wedges. Use ripe, semi-sweet tomatoes. I sometimes add a few cherry tomatoes — they give the finished salad a special flavor.

9. Step 9:

   

   Put the eggplant into a deep salad bowl.

10. Step 10:

    

    Next, add the bell pepper.

11. Step 11:

    

    Then it's the tomatoes' turn.

12. Step 12:

    

    Add the onion and garlic to the vegetables.

13. Step 13:

    

    Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, sugar, and a little salt. Add the ground peppers if you like, along with the juice of half a lemon (you can use apple cider or wine vinegar instead of lemon). Stir to combine.

14. Step 14:

    

    Add the finely chopped parsley to the vegetables and pour the dressing over the salad. Toss gently (I use two tablespoons, one in each hand). Taste it, and if something's missing, add it — this time I added a little salt and some hot ground chili. Chill the salad in the refrigerator for a while to let the flavors mingle.

15. Step 15:

    

    Give the chilled salad one more toss and serve.