Eggplant Steaks With Sun Dried Tomatoes And Olives Food

EGGPLANT AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO SPREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
• Cut off and discard top of garlic head to expose cloves. Brush top of head with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Wrap garlic in foil and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Cool to warm, then squeeze garlic cloves from skins into a small bowl, discarding skins.
• Meanwhile, cut eggplant into 1/2-inch pieces and toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large colander. Let drain 30 minutes. Squeeze eggplant in a kitchen towel to remove liquid.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté one third of eggplant until browned and tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Cook remaining eggplant in olive oil in same manner (in 2 batches), transferring to bowl.
• Add 1 cup cooked eggplant to garlic and coarsely mash together. Stir into remaining eggplant with sun-dried tomatoes (without tomato oil), parsley, basil, lemon juice, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Season with salt and drizzle with tomato oil.
• What to drink:
• Artezin Mendocino Zinfandel '07 or Château de Chamirey Mercurey Rouge '07

FLANK STEAK WITH BALSAMIC ROASTED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Put a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 450˚ F. Combine the eggplant, red onion, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes in a large bowl and toss to coat. Spread out on the preheated pan and roast, tossing once, until browned around the edges and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar; toss gently.
• Meanwhile, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water and a pinch of salt in a food processor or mini chopper. Pulse until mostly smooth (it should be the consistency of a thick pesto; if it's too thick, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time). Adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• Season the steak all over with salt, pepper and the herbes de Provence. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the steak and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side, 4 to 5 minutes for medium rare. Transfer to a cutting board to rest 5 minutes.
• Toss the basil with the eggplant; season with salt, if needed. Divide among plates. Slice the steak, divide among the plates and top with the sun-dried tomato mixture.

EGGPLANT STEAKS

Steps:

• In a small bowl whisk together the Worcestershire, steak sauce, olive oil, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pat your eggplant dry with paper towels. With a pastry brush apply the sauce to both sides of the eggplant. Place eggplant rounds onto a sheet tray fitted with a rack. Place the tray under the broiler for until eggplant is nicely browned, approximately 2 minutes. Turn slices over and place back under broiler to brown the other side. Generously sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan over all of the slices. Place back under the broiler for 1 minute to nicely brown the cheese. Serve plain or sprinkle with freshly chopped herbs.

EGGPLANT STEAKS WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND OLIVES

Steps:

• 1. Trim the ends from the eggplants and peel off the skin. Cut each eggplant lengthwise into four or more 1/2-inch-thick slices. (Some of the slices will be smaller than others, but all should be of equal thickness.) If needed, trim a thin slice from each of the rounded sides so the pieces will lie flat on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the slices with coarse salt and layer in a colander to drain for at least 30 minutes or for up to 2 hours. Rinse the eggplant slices under cold running water and dry well with paper towels, pressing to remove as much moisture as possible.
• 2. Preheat the broiler and position the oven rack about 4 inches from the heat. Line a large heavy baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the eggplant slices on the sheet in a single layer and brush both sides with oil. Broil for 7 to 9 minutes, turning once, until the eggplant is tender and lightly browned on both sides. Leave the broiler on.
• 3. Meanwhile, combine the goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives in a small bowl. Toss gently to mix. Divide the mixture evenly over the broiled eggplant slices. Sprinkle the Pecorino Romano cheese evenly over each slice and return to the oven. Broil for 1 minute, or until the goat cheese has softened and the grated cheese is just beginning to brown at the edges. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Scatter basil over the top of each slice and serve at once.

MEDITERRANEAN EGGPLANT STEAKS AND ORZO SALAD WITH WALNUTS, OREGANO AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat grill pan to medium-high. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place a pot of water on stove to boil for pasta. Salt water and cook orzo to al dente.
• Brush the eggplant steaks lightly with extra-virgin olive oil and season liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill 3 to 4 minutes for small eggplant and 4 to 6 minutes for large eggplant, turning occasionally, until the steaks begin to become tender but are not fully cooked.
• While eggplant cooks, defrost spinach in microwave on defrost setting, 7 to 8 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet and add roasted peppers and garlic. Squeeze the spinach dry and separate as you add it to the skillet. Season the spinach with salt and pepper and heat through. Stir in olives and remove from heat. Place the eggplants on baking sheets. Top each steak with a few forkfuls of spinach mixture. Spread a few rounded spoonfuls of hummus evenly across the steaks on top of the spinach, covering it completely in a thin layer. Toss the bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and parsley. Divide the bread crumbs and scatter them over the steaks on top of the hummus. Bake to brown bread crumbs, 5 minutes or so.
• Toast walnuts while you cut up the tomatoes and place in a bowl. Cool nuts slightly, chop and add to tomatoes. Add the zest and juice of a lemon, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, feta and oregano. Drain pasta, toss with tomato mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve 2 steaks per person with orzo alongside.

SUN-DRIED TOMATO STUFFED BAKED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise; remove the pulp, leaving a shell about 1/2" thick.
• Butter the inside of the shell.
• Dice the eggplant pulp and set aside.
• Melt 1/2 the butter in a saucepan; stir in the onion and sautee until straw-colored, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add the diced eggplant pulp, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper; cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are browned, about 5-8 minutes.
• Spoon the mixture into the eggplant shells; sprinkle with cheese.
• Cover with the breadcrumbs, which have been lightly sauteed in the remaining butter; place stuffed eggplant in a shallow baking pan.
• Pour 1/2" boiling water into the pan; bake in a preheated 325*F.
• oven for 15-20 minutes.
• Cut and serve hot with pasta, bread, or salad.

RIGATONI WITH EGGPLANT AND DRIED TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• Cut onion into 8 wedges. Place in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; brush with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Roast in a 425 degree F oven for 10 minutes.
• Cut stem end off eggplant; discard. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Brush with remaining olive oil. Stir onion; place eggplant in pan, cut sides down. Continue roasting for 15 minutes more or until onion is golden brown and eggplant is just tender.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. Toss the cooked pasta with Dried Tomato Pesto and pepper.
• Transfer pasta to a serving bowl; keep warm.
• Transfer eggplant to a cutting board; using a serrated knife, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. (Use a fork to steady eggplant as you slice.)
• Toss eggplant and onion with pasta; season to taste with salt. Top with cheese and Italian parsley, if desired. Makes 6 to 8 side-dish servings or 4 main-dish servings.
• Dried Tomato Pesto: Drain 3/4 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes (about 3/4 of a 7-ounce jar), reserving oil. Add olive oil to equal 1/2 cup; set aside. In a food processor bowl or blender container, combine the drained tomatoes; 8 cloves garlic, chopped; 1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds; 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil, crushed; and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and process or blend until finely chopped. With machine running, gradually add the 1/2 cup oil, processing or blending until almost smooth and stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Divide pesto into thirds. Use a third for Rigatoni with Eggplant and refrigerate the remaining 2 portions up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Makes approximately three 1/3-cup portions.

EGGPLANT STEAKS WITH CHICKPEAS, FETA CHEESE AND BLACK OLIVES

Steps:

• To make the Balsamic Marinade: combine the first 5 ingredients, slowly adding the oil and stirring briskly to combine well. Set aside.
• Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. Place a vegetable grilling rack on the grill. Or preheat the broiler.
• To make the Eggplant steaks: cut the eggplant lengthwise into four 1/2" slices to resemble steaks. Brush the steaks with the marinade.
• Grill or broil the eggplant for 2 minutes on each side, or until tender but not soft. Remove from the heat, and place 1 steak on each serving plate.
• Put the chickpeas, tomatoes, feta, olives and oregano in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir to combine well. Add some marinade, and stir again.
• Toast or grill the pita bread, cut into pie-shaped wedges and set aside.
• Spoon 1 or 2 scoops of the tomato-olive mixture onto each eggplant steak with some mixture pooling onto the plate. Sprinkle with vinegar, place several pita wedes on the plate, and serve.