Papa Marco's Eggplant Salad

I found this recipe 'hanging out' in the AELC...and I am not sure whose family this recipe belongs to. But the story was as interesting as the recipe. It was obviously made with love and tradition, and worth copying to this Blog:

A Favorite Dish

My father grew up in Romania, and one of his special memories was of the eggplant salad that his mother used to prepare. My father used to make it in our home, but he said it never quite tasted the same as when his mother made it. She used to use a freshly picked eggplant and cooked it on top of a woodburning stove until it was slightly burned on the outside and soft on the inside. My father said his mouth used to water when he smelled the burnt aroma of that lovely fresh eggplant, and that he could hardly wait for dinner to taste the sharp, smokey flavor. My father made it for us only on the holidays, cooking the eggplant on top of our gas stove, and I can remember when I was a child looking forward to tasting that delicious dish, just as my father did when I was a child.

Papa Marco's Eggplant Salad

Select a firm eggplant, purple in color, weighing about 1 1/4 pounds. Wash it and put it directly on top of an oven burner over a very low flame. As it starts to burn, turn it so that every part of it is blackened and softened by the flame. This should take about 45 minutes. While the eggplant is cooking, chop 1 small onion into small pieces and saute it in a frying pan in oil until it is light brown. When the eggplant is done, remove it to a dish to let it cool. Then peel off the skin and put the vegetable into a bowl. Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil, one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, a sprinkling of red pepper, and the sauteed onions. Mash the mixture with a fork until it is smooth. Serve on a large platter on a base of lettuce leaves. Garnish with sliced tomatoes, radishes and green olives.
The soft, middle eastern bread called pita is excellent with this dish and can be used to scoop up the eggplant salad like a dip. I prefer to drink beer with this dish, but a chilled, very dry Greek or Romanian wine is a good accompaniment.