📂 Light Dinners
#Vegetarian
#Appetizer
#Low Calorie
#Gluten-Free
Grilled Eggplant with a Drizzle of Cane Honey and Sesame
🍆 A sweet and sour delight of Andalusian inspiration. Grilled eggplant slices melting inside, with a subtle contrast of honey and toasted sesame.
🛒 Ingredients
- 2 Large eggplants
- 1 Tablespoon Cane honey or molasses
- Toasted sesame seeds
- EVOO
- Flaky salt
🍆 Sweet and Sour Eggplant: Tradition Without Frying
The classic "fried eggplants with honey" are a delicacy of southern Spanish cuisine, but when fried they become oil sponges. In this smart and healthy version, we grill the eggplant until it has a buttery texture inside. The very light drizzle of cane honey (molasses) provides that magic contrast that makes us not miss the frying at all.
🛡️ Why it is exceptionally healthy
- Protective Nasunin: The skin of the eggplant (which we must keep) is exceptionally rich in nasunin, a powerful antioxidant that protects brain cells.
- Healthy Sesame Fats: Sesame seeds provide a necessary crunch, in addition to a high content of plant calcium and unsaturated fatty acids.
- Dramatic Calorie Reduction: By avoiding immersion in boiling oil, we reduce the calories of the traditional dish by more than 70%.
📝 Step-by-Step Preparation
- The Cut: Wash 2 large eggplants. Cut them into slices slightly less than half an inch thick (not too thin or they will burn, not too thick or they will stay raw).
- Purging (Optional but Recommended): To remove their slight bitterness and make them absorb less oil, place the slices on a wire rack, sprinkle fine salt over them, and let them "sweat" for 15 minutes. Then, dry them very well with paper towels.
- Painting: To avoid overdoing the fat, put 4 tsp (20ml) of EVOO in a small bowl and, with a kitchen brush, very lightly paint each eggplant slice on both sides.
- The Griddle: Put a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Place the slices and cook them for about 3-4 minutes per side. They need to be well browned on the outside and very, very tender inside. Drain them on paper towels.
- Arrangement: Place them slightly overlapping on a beautiful flat serving dish. Add a pinch of flaky salt.
- The Final Contrast: With a small spoon, let a very fine thread of cane honey (molasses) fall over the eggplants. Generously sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and serve immediately hot.
