Mediterranean Feast
Warning: I am currently in a food coma. If I seem to fall asleep in the middle of this post, do not be alarmed. Ryan will eventually lift my head from the keyboard, wipe the drool from my face, and transport me to bed. Hopefully.
Tonight’s dinner was uh-mazing. Just what we were craving: a delicious, fresh meal, enjoyed al fresco.
For tonight’s meal, we went with (obviously) a Mediterranean theme. For a while now, we’ve been wanting to try cooking an eggplant whole, and with the beautiful weather, tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity to try this new culinary adventure.
We used two smallish eggplants. Before grilling the eggplants, I cut 5-6 slits in each one and stuffed the slits with slice garlic cloves. The garlic roasts inside the eggplant as it grills and gets nice and soft.
Eggplants with garlic:
Ryan grilled these eggplants over medium heat on our gas grill for twenty minutes, until they looked like this:
When he pulled them off, we let them cool for about 10 minutes, and then peeled the charred skin off. The skin just comes right off, and you’re left with the delicious, garlicky eggplant:
Perfect for…eggplant dip! This couldn’t have been easier: put the eggplant + garlic + a little salt in the food processor and pulse until smooth.
Along with the eggplant, we had a variety of antipasti, including tomato + mozzarella and kalamata olives + pickled garlic + feta. Yum!
Pita was served on the side for the eggplant dip, along with grilled asparagus. The asparagus marinated in a few teaspoons of olive oil, lemon juice, and salt + pepper, and then went straight on the grill. Perfection.
Dinner = Perfection:
My plate:
Yep…we ate ALL of it.
Dessert was enjoyed as well, in the form of Easter candy. 
Hope you’re having a great night! See you tomorrow!
Oh hello YUM! Girl would you send some of that to me please!
i love your sun room!! looking at your outdoor photos makes me miss state college
you two eat better and nicer than any other 20something newlyweds i know!
the whole e’plant roasting. wow. need to try that as i am horrible with ruining eplants. i over or under cook them. that method looks pretty foolproof, provided dip/puree is the final goal.
great meal anna!!!!
The blog has definitely improved our quality of eating…as has moving to the middle of nowhere! We have nothing else to do, so we cook nice meals
LOl, that image at the start of you drooling all over your keyboard…LOVELY!
That meal looks divine – I like what you did with the aubergine, I may steal that from you :p
eggplant is so good; I wish I could figure out a way to make it myself instead of stare at yours haha. have you ever used a stove-top grill pan instead of a grill? (limited resources here) Thanks!
Katherine
I’m not sure about grilling the whole eggplant on a stove-top grill pan, but you could definitely slice up the eggplant, brush with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, and grill the slices that way! YUM!
That meal looks fabulous!! Eggplant is one of my favorites – I’m going to try the grilling it whole! Also, it was so pretty on your screened porch – looks like y’all are really getting some pretty weather for Easter!
Your food is always so bright and fresh! Looks so good!!
I see why you’re in a food coma- that all looks fantastic!!! And your table setting is awesome, as usual!
Anna, this all looks so good!!! My type of meal for sure!! Garlic everywhere, i love it!!
You are the cutest thing ever! I love that yellow color on you!!!
Oh and your food looked awesome too…but you stole the show! 
Oh wow, I’m positively salivating over that meal. What a delicious Medi feast!! The eggplant dip especially…drool. Hope you had a good night’s sleep!
I really wish Ali and I ate as well as you did when we were younger. Seriously, I would pull together some rice a roni, chicken courtesy of George Foreman, and call it a meal. Your dinner looks delicious!
Wow… that looks AMAZING!!! YUM!
I spy a Baxter dog! Did he enjoy the taste of the Med., too? I like what you said about the blog and PA making you eat better — I think getting older (ie, away from late night calls to Gilroy’s) and being married have made me rethink me eating habits, too. It’s more fun to cook for another person instead of rice and beans to eat in front of Law & Order, and I want to feel good and enjoy being married — I like to feel light on my feet while I do the laundry and cook and clean.
Hot diggity dog! Mediterranean food is definitely my favorite and you are making me swoon over here!
Mmmm, this looks perfect! Especially the kalameta olives and eggplant dip – wow!
Yum! Everything looks so fresh and delicious.
Roasted eggplant looks delish! I love the Mediterranean food!!