Eggplant Caprese With Tomato And Basil Food

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!

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.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO EGGPLANT CAPRESE STACKS

Steps:

• Rub eggplant rounds with olive olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place rounds on a greased baking sheet. Roast eggplant at 400F 8-10 minutes until just slightly softened.
• Assemble the caprese stacks by topping an eggplant round with a tomato slice and a slice of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers a total of three times to form a three-layer stack. Repeat step 2 with remaining eggplant rounds, tomato, and cheese.
• Broil eggplant stacks on high heat 3-4 minutes until cheese is golden-brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle stacks with fresh basil. Enjoy immediately!

FRIED EGGPLANT CAPRESE - 3 WAYS

Steps:

• Peel the eggplant skin in stripes. This removes half of the skin and leaves some on for better flavor.
• Slice eggplant in 1/2 inch round, thick slices. Liberally salt both sides and place the slices in a colander standing up (not flat). This helps them to drain. Place a plate on top and weigh down with a heavy item ( i.e. a large can tomatoes or ceramic container). Place the colander on a plate to catch the liquid. Let drain for 60 minutes.
• Rinse the eggplant slices under cold water to remove the salt and pat/squeeze dry. The purpose of the salting is to remove bitterness and to helps the sponge-like texture from getting too greasy when frying.
• Set up breading station: Mix flour and salt and place on a plate, beat eggs with milk in a small bowl, and mix the breadcrumbs, cheeses, black and red pepper in another shallow bowl. Coat both sides of one eggplant slice in flour, then dip in the eggs, and finally in the breadcrumb mixture. Continue breading all the eggplant slices. Set aside while oil is heating.
• Heat both oils in a large skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Cooking in batches, add breaded eggplant slices and fry on both sides until lightly golden and crispy. Drain cooked slices on paper towels.
• Serve the Fried Eggplant with sliced tomatoes, slices mozzarella and torn leaves of fresh basil. You can assemble as a salad, a sandwich or an antipasto platter. Garnish with drizzled balsamic glaze.

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.

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 AND TOMATO CAPRESE SALAD

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Or, prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals or set a gas grill to medium-high heat.
• Brush the eggplant slices generously with olive oil on both sides, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill until charred on the outside and soft on the inside, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
• On a large rectangular platter, layer the tomatoes, mozzarella, eggplant and basil in diagonal rows. Drizzle generously with vinegar and olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Serve at room temperature.

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.