Spicy Eggplant Salad

A wonderful way to prepare eggplant is as a side dish or a starter to a meal. It’s also a wonderful food to aid in care for your cholesterol.

You’ll Need

• 3 medium eggplants
• 2 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon crushed dried mint

Directions

• Slice the eggplants crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-thick pieces.
• Sprinkle them with 2 teaspoons of the salt and let stand for 15 minutes.
• Then rinse eggplants under cold water and dry well.
• Heat the oil in a skillet and lightly brown eggplant slices over moderate heat for 3 minutes.
• Remove and put into a serving bowl.
• Cool.
• Put the tomato sauce, pepper, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, mint and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, in a pan.
• Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, which is long enough to integrate the flavors.
• Pour this over the eggplant; refrigerate until ready to use.
• The salad can remain in the refrigerator for several days.
• Serve cold or at room temperature.