Eggplant Caprese With Grilled Tomato And Basil Vinaigrette Food

ITALIAN GRILLED EGGPLANT CAPRESE

Steps:

• Combine olive oil, garlic, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
• Preheat an outdoor grill to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and lightly oil the grate.
• Put eggplant slices on the hot grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn eggplant and brush with the oil mixture. Place 1 slice of tomato and 1 slice of mozzarella cheese on each eggplant piece. Close the lid and cook until cheese has melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with basil.

FRIED EGGPLANT WITH TOMATO AND BASIL

Steps:

• Put the eggplant cubes in a large colander and toss with a little salt. Place a plate directly on top of the eggplant with some sort of a weight on top of the plate (a jar, can, etc.). Set the colander in the sink or over a bowl and let drain away any bitter liquids for at least 30 minutes. Rinse away the salt under cold running water and pat the eggplant cubes thoroughly dry with paper towels. Afterwards, squeeze away any remaining liquid in the eggplant by the handful.
• In a medium, deep pan over medium-high heat, heat about 2-inches of oil until hot, but not smoking, or when it reaches a temperature between 360°F and 375°F on a deep-fat thermometer. You can test the oil for readiness by dropping in a piece of eggplant and if it sizzles immediately it is ready. Working in batches, fry the eggplant until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan. Using a wire skimmer, transfer the eggplant to a paper towel lined plate to drain thoroughly.
• In a 12-to 14-inch sauté pan over medium-low heat, combine the olive oil and garlic and gently sauté until the garlic softens and turns lightly golden. Raise the heat slightly and add the tomatoes to the pan. Simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring and gently crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Add the eggplant and basil to the pan and toss briefly just to combine. Taste for salt and season, if necessary. Gently toss for about 1 minute longer just to blend the flavors.
• Serve warm or at room temperature garnished with basil.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH FRESH MOZZARELLA, TOMATOES AND BASIL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Slice your eggplants into ¾ inch rounds. Sprinkle both sides of each round with salt and place them on a paper towel lined plate. Let rest for 20 minutes.
• While your eggplant is resting, prepare the basil vinaigrette. Place all of the ingredients for the basil vinaigrette in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
• In a small bowl, toss the diced tomatoes with ½ teaspoon olive oil and a pinch of salt. Set aside until ready to use.
• Heat your grill or grill pan over medium heat. Pat the eggplant dry (the salt will have drawn the excess moisture out of the eggplant...magic!) and brush both sides of each round with olive oil and season with a little extra salt. Grill the rounds for about 8 minutes on each side or until very tender. Remove eggplant from the grill and let it cool to room temperature.
• When grilled eggplant is cool, layer the rounds with slices of fresh mozzarella.
• Top the eggplant and mozzarella with the diced tomato.
• Drizzle the basil vinaigrette on top and serve your grilled eggplant masterpiece at room temperature.

ROASTED EGGPLANT CAPRESE SALAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Spread the eggplant slices on a large tray and sprinkle generously with salt. Leave for 30 minutes; the eggplant will "sweat out" it's bitterness. When ready, pat the eggplant dry.
• Place the eggplant slices and the tomato slices on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the 425 F degree heated-oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, but leave the oven on for step # 5.
• When the eggplant and tomatoes are cool enough to handle, bring a small baking dish (about 6"x 9") and begin to assemble the Caprese salad. Arrange the eggplant, tomato, cheese and basil in the baking dish forming a tight row. Repeat the pattern (as you see in the tutorial picture below) until you fill the baking dish side-to-side.
• If you like, place the baking dish in the oven to heat for 7-10 minutes (just until the cheese melts slightly).
• While the Caprese salad warms up, make the basil vinaigrette. In a small food processor, blend the chopped garlic with the basil leaves, olive oil, lime juice and spices.
• When ready, remove the roasted eggplant Caprese salad from the oven and spoon some of the basil vinaigrette on top. Place the extra basil vinaigrette in a bowl to serve next to the salad. Slice a loaf of crusty bread to serve along. Enjoy!

EGGPLANT CAPRESE WITH GRILLED TOMATO AND BASIL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Arrange eggplant slices on baking sheet. Brush both sides with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until slightly charred and tender, turning occasionally and moving to cook evenly, about 5 minutes. Transfer to foil-lined baking sheet. Grill plum tomato until skin is charred and split, turning often, about 5 minutes. Transfer to sheet with eggplant and cool. Core plum tomato; place in blender. Add chopped basil, vinegar, and 1/4 cup oil. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. DO AHEAD Eggplant and dressing can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Overlap eggplant slices, cheese slices, and heirloom tomato slices on individual plates or large platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle salad with dressing and garnish with basil sprigs.

EGGPLANT CAPRESE SALAD WITH FRIED GARLIC & BALSAMIC

Steps:

• Slice the eggplant and spread the disks on a chopping board or a plate. Sprinkle evenly with sea salt. Leave for 5-10 minutes to draw out some of the juices. This will make the eggplant less oil hungry. Pat the pieces lightly with paper towel.
• Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat (not too hot as to not burn the oil). Once hot, add the eggplant slices and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until grill marks appear. You will need to drizzle more oil over the slices once you turn them as they will absorb the initial amount instantly. They will not cook properly if left too dry. Don't panic too much about the amount of olive oil used, it's all good stuff and not a problem in a lower carbohydrate dish such as this one.
• Once cooked, layer the eggplant on a larger serving plate and set aside.
• Add a little more olive oil to the frying pan and add the garlic slices. Cook over medium heat for a minute or so on each side, until golden brown.
• Top the cooked eggplant evenly with mozzarella slices, halved tomatoes, basil leaves and fried garlic. Drizzle over the balsamic vinegar and season with a little extra sea salt and pepper.

EGGPLANT CAPRESE WITH TOMATO AND BASIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F
• Slice the eggplant and tomatoes crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces.
• Place 8 eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray.
• Set the tomatoes aside.
• In a small bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
• Brush the mixture over the eggplant and tomato slices, then set the remainder aside.
• Bake the eggplant slices for about 10 minutes.
• Turn them over, brush with more of the olive-oil mixture, then bake for another 10 minutes; set aside.
• Place the tomatoes on the same baking sheet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they're soft.
• Place a slice of cooked eggplant on a work surface. Top with a tomato slice, a basil leaf, a slice of mozzarella, a tomato slice, another slice of cheese, then a basil leaf. Finish the stack with a slice of eggplant.
• Repeat to make three more stacks.
• When ready to serve return the stacks to the oven for about 5 minutes to reheat and melt the cheese.
• Top each with a drizzle of the remaining olive-oil mixture and a fresh basil leaf.

GRILLED EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat grill for medium heat.
• In a large bowl, coat eggplant with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange half of the eggplant slices on a tray. Place a slice of tomato and a slice of goat cheese on each slice of eggplant. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the tomatoes and cheese. Top with remaining slices of eggplant, and secure each bundle with a toothpick.
• Lightly oil the grill grate. Remove toothpicks, and arrange bundles on grate. Cook about 7 to 8 minutes, then carefully flip. Continue cooking for 6 to 7 minutes.

GRILLED EGGPLANT & TOMATO STACKS

Steps:

• Preheat grill to medium-high or place a grill pan over medium-high heat until hot.
• Use 2 teaspoons oil to brush both sides of eggplant slices; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Grill the eggplant slices for 5 minutes. Turn; continue grilling until tender and marked with grill lines, 3 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a large platter.
• Spread each eggplant slice with 1 teaspoon pesto. Top with a slice of tomato, a slice of mozzarella and a basil leaf.
• Drizzle vinegar and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over the towers; sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

SPANISH GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH TOMATO VINAIGRETTE RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Trim off any stems or blemishes on the skin of the eggplants. Cut eggplants crosswise into slices about 3/8-inch thick.
• Turn on broiler to heat. Place slices on a baking sheet and spray with oil, using a "mister" if you have one. If not, lightly brush each slice with olive oil .
• Place baking sheets under the broiler on the second shelf from the top, so that they are not too close, or they will burn.
• When one side is slightly browned and soft when you press lightly, turn slices over, apply olive oil and return to broiler. Depending on your broiler, the distance from the pan, it may take 20 to 25 minutes to cook. (You may find that slices that are directly under the broiler cook much faster than those at the far corners of the pan. Keep a close eye on the pans and rotate the slices on the cookie sheet.)
• Remove slices individually as they are done cooking and place on a large platter or serving plate. Don't be afraid to overlap slices on the serving plate. It works just fine for serving and will be more appetizing.
• While the eggplant is broiling, finely chop the tomatoes and place them into a medium size mixing bowl. Finely chop the green onions and put the garlic cloves through a press or mince them by hand and place in the bowl with tomatoes.
• Remove the capers from the jar with a slotted spoon, so that they drain.
• Chop the capers and mix into the bowl with other ingredients. Make sure that stems are removed from the basil leaves, then chop the basil and place in a bowl.
• Pour olive oil and vinegar into the bowl and mix with the other ingredients.
• Allow the eggplant to cool a few minutes. Then, spoon the tomato vinaigrette sauce over the eggplant.
• Serve immediately with sliced bread or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

EGGPLANT CAPRESE WITH GRILLED TOMATO AND BASIL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• On the Grill:
• Prepare barbeque on medium heat. Arrange eggplant slices on baking sheet. Brush both sides with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until slightly charred and tender, turning occasionally and moving to cook evenly, about 5 minutes. Transfer to foil-lined baking sheet. Grill plum tomato until skin is charred and split, turning often, about 5 minutes. Transfer to sheet with eggplant and cool.
• For the Dish:
• Core plum tomato; place in blender. Add chopped basil, vinegar, and ¼ cup oil. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl.
• Overlap eggplant slices, cheese slices, and heirloom tomato slices on individual plates or large platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle salad with dressing and garnish with basil sprigs.