Grilled Eggplant, Grape Tomato, and Feta Salad

Ingredients

• 8 medium-sized Japanese or Asian Eggplants
• Olive oil, for brushing eggplants
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper for seasoning eggplants
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/4 cup crumbled Feta, or more
• 2/3 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup parsley leaves, flat or curly
• 2 large garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 3 T capers
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Heat the grill to medium-high; it should feel hot enough that you can keep your hand over it only briefly.
2. Rinse the eggplants if they need it, then trim away both ends.
3. Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise, coat each side with olive oil, and sprinkle the cut surfaces with salt and pepper.
4. Set the eggplants on the grill with the cut sides facing down. Cook until clear grill marks form, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Flip the eggplants over and grill for about 5 minutes more, until they are tender and well browned.
6. Transfer the eggplants to a cutting board and let them cool.
7. While the eggplants are cooling, make the sauce.
8. Wash the basil and parsley if needed, then spin the leaves dry.
9. Slice the garlic, then put the basil, parsley, and garlic into a food processor with the steel blade in place and pulse until chopped.
10. Add the Dijon, capers, and lemon juice, and process until the mixture comes together. Pour in the olive oil and run the processor for about 30 seconds more.
11. Halve the grape tomatoes.
12. Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, cut it into pieces about 1 inch thick.
13. In a bowl, carefully toss the eggplant with the tomato halves, then add enough sauce to coat everything, about 1/4 cup.
14. Fold in the crumbled Feta and serve the salad warm or at room temperature.
15. Tomatoes are at their best when they skip the refrigerator, but leftovers can still be decent after chilling overnight. They are not likely to stay at their best much longer than that.