Lebanese Eggplant Salad

Eggplant has a wonderful ability to absorb the smoky flavors of the grill—a truth appreciated by cooks throughout the Middle East. The contrast of charred eggplant and fresh tomato produces an amazingly flavorful salad. I like to use small Italian-style eggplants, which cook through more quickly than the large American eggplants. If the only thing available is the latter, try to find a long, relatively thin eggplant.