Submitted by Patricia

Ingredients:

Eggplant, 1 large or 2-3 small: Eggplant Park's Whopper Hybrid, Eggplant Lavender Touch Hybrid, or Eggplant 'Prosperosa'
Olive oil, for brushing
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon, plus zest, divided
Kosher salt (~1 teaspoon) & freshly ground pepper (~1/2 teaspoon), or to taste
Garlic Italian Late, 2 cloves (one split in half lengthwise, the other thinly sliced)
Basil Lemon Sweet Dani, 6 or 7 leaves (or to taste), divided
English Thyme, or golden lemon thyme, 1-2 teaspoons, divided
Italian flat-leaf parsley
Lemon Balm (optional)

Have ready a (minimum) 9x13” glass dish or nonreactive baking sheet to hold the eggplant. Also have ready a small bowl with olive oil for brushing. Wash & dry eggplant and lemon. Zest the lemon, taking the surface yellow part only and avoiding the bitter white pith underneath; set aside. After zesting, cut lemon in half and set aside. Split one garlic clove in half lengthwise; slice the other thinly; set both aside.

Cut eggplant into 1/2” to 5/8” slices. Place in glass dish or on baking sheet. Work quickly to avoid possible browning: Rub cut sides with split garlic clove, then brush lightly with olive oil. Squeeze lemon over exposed side and sprinkle with salt* and pepper to taste. Repeat on other side. Sprinkle ~3/4 of the total lemon zest over the eggplant slices, reserving ~1/4 for later garnish. Scatter sliced garlic over the eggplant.

Reserve 2 Lemon Basil leaves for later garnish. Stack the remaining 4-5 leaves atop one another and roll tightly into a cigar shape. Thinly slice the “cigar” cross-wise (chiffonade), then fluff with fingers to separate the thin leaf strips. Sprinkle over the eggplant slices.

Strip the Thyme from the twigs. Sprinkle over the eggplant slices, reserving ~1/2 teaspoon for later garnish.

Turn over the eggplant slices to evenly distribute zest, garlic slices, lemon basil, and thyme on both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate for about an hour. Halfway through, turn slices once more.

Grill over medium-low heat for a total of about 20-25 minutes, or until done, turning once after about 15 minutes. Texture should be softened, but still holding together, with nice grill marks. Remove to serving platter and cover loosely to retain heat.

Garnish: Chiffonade the remaining 2 Lemon Basil leaves and scatter over eggplant, along with reserved thyme and lemon zest. Also garnish with chopped parsley and (optional) Lemon Balm, if desired.

Serve and enjoy! Goes great with grilled meats, Greek dishes, chicken shish-kebab, and Greek salad.

*Notes on sodium: Be careful not to over-salt: lemon mimics the ‘feel’ of salt on the tongue, so you can use much less. Kosher salt is flaky, so a teaspoonful contains less sodium than most other (denser) forms of salt.