Festive Eggplant

I’ve been on an eggplant kick lately. I suppose it helps that I’ve finally found a cookbook that has eggplant recipes that sound delicious. Phaidon’s The Silver Spoon has changed my mind where eggplant is concerned and I cannot wait to see what other dishes I can make. But for now, I’m sticking with eggplant. Note: If you dislike eggplant, and worry a bit about the abundance of eggplant recipes on this site lately, rest assured… there will be several non-eggplant recipes next week!

Today’s recipe came about because I was flipping through the cookbook on a Saturday and realized we just happened to have all of the ingredients for the recipe. We hadn’t planned it, but when fate shows itself that way, you just have to go along. This is a simple recipe to prepare, takes only a few minutes of effort, and presents dramatically.

Festive Eggplant from The Silver Spoon ” target=”_blank”>Phaidon’s The Silver Spoon

Serves 4

4 small eggplants
Olive oil for brushing
4 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and thinly sliced
9 oz smoked Provolone or smoked Mozzarella, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sprig parsley, minced
4 basil leaves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350.
Slice off the eggplant stems, and cut the eggplants lengthwise, without cutting through the base of the eggplant. You’re trying to create a fan shape with the eggplant.
Brush a baking dish with olive oil.
Place the sliced eggplants in the prepared dish.
Between each of the eggplant slices, place a slice of cheese and a slice of tomato.
Combine the garlic, parsley, and basil in a bowl and sprinkle over the eggplants.
Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.
Serve, spooning some of the cooking juices over the eggplants.

Notes: The recipe didn’t have a photo associated with it, so while I’m virtually certain this is what it’s supposed to look like, there’s no actual guarantee. The only problem I had with this recipe was that the sliced and stuffed eggplants didn’t want to lay well in the dish. They kept moving around. However, once I managed to wedge them in properly, all was well. We both loved this recipe, and since it has a long baking time with little to no interaction, it will work well for parties.

Festive Eggplant

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Festive Eggplant

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