4 large eggplants (preferably the long, purple variety)
2 large bunches of cilantro
1 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves (optional)
1/2 dried hot peperoncino (chili pepper), optional
2 limes
1 tablespoon oregano flakes, dried
salt and pepper (to taste)

Clean the eggplants and remove the green ends. Put them into a microwave oven at full setting for about 30 minutes or until very soft and mushy (you can use a conventional oven at 350º but I prefer the microwave oven).

Meanwhile, put most of the olive oil into a blender with the garlic an chili peppers (both optional, but recommended) and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and process until homogeneous, then add the bunches of cilantro (you should remove only the hardest stems) to obtain a very nice green liquid paste. Don't be conservative with the quantities of cilantro! Add the remaining olive oil if you have enough cilantro.

When the eggplants have cooled enough, proceed to scoop out all the pulp with a spoon. You will discard only the skin. Put all the pulp into a processor to obtain a smooth paste, or manually mash it with a fork, etc. Put the processed pulp into a bowl and add the cilantro mix, the oregano and the juice of the limes. Thoroughly mix and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Let it set for one hour if possible in the fridge.

This dip should be served with small bread slices or Crostini. Great for wine and cocktail parties. The best wine for it should be a strong woody Chardonnay or a light red wine (a rose wine should be OK, too.)

Submitted by: Luis De Santis-Venezuela