Kyopolou
Кьопоолу·(kyo-po-oh-loo)
The Meze Table & Summer Salads
Tuesday night at the kitchen counter, a foil-lined half-sheet pan crackles for forty minutes as the eggplant skins blister. Skip the homogenized versions spiked with olive oil; the real secret to that smoky mash is unrefined sunflower oil and a heavy fork. Put the blender away, char the hell out of your vegetables under the broiler, and let the raw garlic do its work.
Ingredients
- Italian eggplants2 med
- red bell peppers2 med
- green bell pepper1 med
- Roma tomato1 med
- garlic3 large
- kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- unrefined sunflower oil3 tbsp
- apple cider vinegar1 tbsp
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Blister the vegetables under the broiler.
Preheat your broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the eggplants alongside the whole peppers. Broil until the skins are completely blackened and blistered all over—about 15 to 20 minutes for the peppers, and up to 30 minutes for the eggplants. Turn them occasionally with tongs.
- 02
Steam the charred vegetables to loosen their skins.
Transfer the hot peppers and eggplants to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap or a heavy plate. Let them steam in their own heat for 15 minutes. This old-school grandmother trick separates the skin from the flesh with zero effort.
- 03
Peel and drain the eggplant.
Once cool enough to handle, strip the blackened skins off the vegetables. Discard the stems and the pepper seeds. Place the peeled eggplant flesh in a mesh strainer over a bowl for 10 minutes, pressing lightly to expel the dark, bitter liquid. Discard the liquid.
- 04
Aggressively chop the vegetables by hand.
Do not reach for the food processor. Transfer the drained eggplant and peeled peppers to a large cutting board and chop them vigorously with a heavy chef's knife until finely minced. Scrape the mash into a mixing bowl and add the prepared tomato.
- 05
Smash the garlic into a paste.
Place the garlic cloves on your cutting board, sprinkle the kosher salt directly over them, and use the flat side of your knife to repeatedly drag and smash them until they form a smooth paste. Add this paste to the vegetables.
- 06
Emulsify the mash with oil and vinegar.
Using a sturdy fork or potato masher, vigorously mash the vegetables and garlic paste together. Pour in the sunflower oil and apple cider vinegar, mashing constantly until the oil is completely absorbed and the dip is cohesive but still has some texture. Fold in the parsley.
- 07
Rest the dip before serving.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This mandatory resting period mellows the raw garlic and allows the smoky flavors to marry. Serve cold or at room temperature with thick slices of crusty bread.
Notes
The secret is the fat.
Finding cold-pressed, unrefined sunflower oil (often labeled 'roasted sunflower oil' at Eastern European markets) is non-negotiable for the authentic taste of the homeland. If you absolutely cannot find it, mix two tablespoons of neutral sunflower oil with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to fake the funk.