Eggplant

There is nothing more satisfying than eggplant on the grill. The dark violet color of the eggplants untouched skin glows against any other vegetable. Eggplants can be sliced and cooked into a simple gourmet side dish in less than ten minutes. When I come home from school it is the first thing I ask for as well as the last before I go back…
My Dad has a simple recipe. He first thinly slices the eggplant into slices about a fifth of an inch thick. He then moves the slices to a bowl where he marinates them in a little concoction of things like olive oil and salt and some herbs. From there he takes the bowl straight to the grill, which has been on for a little while now. He dips his tongs into the mixture and places the eggplant straight onto the grill. He does the repeatedly until the grill is blanketed in shiny yellow white seedy pieces of eggplant. Because they are sliced so thinly you can see the coals glowing under the grill bars and see the black lines of the grill being branded into the sides facing the grill. At about 4 minutes or less my dad will go around and flip them. He will then wait for them to be cooked about evenly on both sides and then take them off the grill and serves them on a simple white platter.
I love the way the eggplants have so many different textures with in them. The skin becomes crispy and dark while the inside is still warm and moist. Although eggplants are no delicacy, I treat them like one; it has always been my favorite vegetable to come home to and always will be.