Spicy grilled eggplant

I am new to eggplant. It always weirded me out. I love the way it looks but something about the leather-like texture on the skin made me fear the unknown. It also tends to go from ripe to creepy-mushy seemingly overnight so each time I mustered up the courage to buy one I failed to cook it before it had to be set free. Not any more. I have looked the eggplant in the eye and found a friend. The sad part is that I lived in Italy for a few years and my amazing landlord and his wife grew everything. They had such a bountiful garden and would constantly give me produce from it. At the time I still hated onions, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and just about everything that didn't come from a box. I shed a tear thinking of what I missed out on then. 

This recipe was simple and delicious and had a nice kick to it. I am thinking that it may lead me to making a recipe for eggplant lasagna. 

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 tbl olive oil-1 for brushing on the grill
• 1 tsp garlic, minced or chopped

Prep:

Heat your grill and slice the eggplant into 1/4" thick slices. Salt them lightly and set them in a colander for 20 minutes to sweat. Once done, pat dry. 

Directions:

Brush a little of the olive oil on each slice and crack fresh black pepper on them. Place on the grill over medium heat for 3-5 minutes per side. This should not be hot enough to burn them. Once grilled, arrange on a tray and mix the sauce.

For the sauce, mix the olive oil, minced garlic and pepper flakes together. Brush over the grilled eggplant. 

How easy was that?