Eggplant Tomato And Mozzarella Stacks Hot Or Cold Food

EGGPLANT SLICES, TOMATOES, AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the eggplant slices in flour; tap off excess. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggplant slices in batches until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• On each slice of eggplant, place a slice of tomato and a thin slice of mozzarella cheese. Place the next slice of eggplant halfway over the previous slice and continue layering with tomato and cheese until the bottom of the dish is covered. Arrange the eggplant so that half of the previous slice is covered by the next slice. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes.
• In a saucepan, heat 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped anchovies, garlic, basil, vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Stir well to mash and dissolve the anchovies; remove from heat.
• Remove the eggplant slices from the oven and immediately pour the sauce over the eggplant. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND TOMATO STACKS

Steps:

• In a large bowl toss the eggplant slices with 1/4 cup kosher salt. Using your fingertips, evenly distribute the salt on both sides of each slice. Place the eggplant in a colander set over a large bowl or sheet pan to catch juices. Set aside for 1 to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line two 18 by 13-inch baking sheets with heavy-duty foil.
• Rinse the eggplant under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
• Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on one baking sheet. Brush olive oil on 1 side. Brush with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.
• Drizzle the other pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer, season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the minced garlic.
• Roast the tomatoe slices until they are very soft and just beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes, without turning. Bake the eggplant slices until they are tender and well browned, 20 to 30 minutes, without turning. Let the tomato and eggplant slices cool until you can handle them with your fingers.
• Make a short stack starting with eggplant on the bottom, 1 slice mozzarella, and then tomato. Top with another piece of eggplant. Warm stacks in the oven until mozzarella lightly melts. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (approximately 390°F).
• Rinse the eggplant and cut 1 cm (approximately 3/8-inch) thick almost but not through to the stem end and open like a fan. Brush each slice lightly with pesto and season with salt and pepper. Rinse, core and thinly slice the tomatoes. Blot the mozzarella dry and thinly slice. Season the tomatoes and mozzarella with salt and pepper. Rinse the basil, shake dry and pluck off the leaves. Place the basil, mozzarella and tomato slices between the eggplant slices. Place the stuffed eggplant in an oiled baking dish and bake until the eggplant is tender, for about 50 minutes.

EGGPLANT, TOMATO, AND MOZZARELLA STACKS WITH PESTO SAUCE AND BALSAMIC REDUCTION

Steps:

• PLACE the vinegar in a small, heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer until the vinegar reduces to about one-quarter of its original volume, about 20 minutes. Check the consistency: It should be syrupy and coat the back of a spoon. Simmer slightly longer if needed.
• STORE the reduction in an airtight, heatproof container in the refrigerator; it will keep indefinitely. When you are ready to use it again, bring it to room temperature. Place the uncovered container in hot water until you can stir the reduction, adding drops of hot water as needed to thin it to your desired consistency.
• PREHEAT a grill to medium-high heat. Place the eggplant rounds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and brush both sides with olive oil.
• WHEN the grill is hot, use tongs to place the eggplant rounds on the grill. Cook, covered and turning once, until the eggplant flesh is tender through the center, but not completely soft and limp, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the eggplant back to the baking sheet to cool. Sprinkle lightly with fine sea salt.
• LINE another baking sheet or your work surface with parchment, and place 10 of the largest tomato slices on top in a single layer. Sprinkle each with a small pinch of coarse or flaked sea salt. Next, top each tomato slice with a grilled eggplant round that is equal in size (or slightly smaller). Spread a small spoonful of pesto over each eggplant round and top it with a slice of mozzarella. Place smaller tomato slices on top of the mozzarella. Sprinkle each tomato slice with a small pinch of coarse or flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with the Balsamic Reduction and top each stack with a basil leaf. Carefully transfer the stacks to a serving platter or individual plates and serve.
• NOTES: Japanese eggplant and small heirloom varieties are not ideal for this recipe. Select a medium globe or Italian eggplant that is tall and round, but not too portly. Eggplant rounds will shrink some when they cook, so try to buy large tomatoes that are slightly narrower than the widest part of the eggplant. You will want to match rounds of equal size once it is time to stack them. Roasted eggplant works well here if you don't want to fire up the grill. Roast the oiled eggplant rounds at 400°F, flipping them halfway through cooking, until they are golden and tender through the middle, about 20 minutes. Store any leftovers in the fridge and enjoy them cold as is or pressed into panini.

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.

MOZZARELLA & TOMATO STACKS WITH ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Remove a couple of leaves from the cut end of each stem of rosemary.
• Mince the removed rosemary leaves add to garlic and olive oil season with salt and pepper to taste. Layer the tomatoes and cheese sprinkle some of the oil as you go. Making 3 stacks.
• Pierce each stack with the sprig of rosemary.
• Pour remaining oil mixture over the tomatoes.
• Let flavors meld for 20 minutes.
• Enjoy sharing a stack with a loved one.

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.

EGGPLANT AND DICED TOMATOES OVER ANGEL HAIR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Coat a 13X9 inch pan with olive oil. Cube a medium sized eggplant and add to the pan. Add the diced tomatoes, parsley, basil, salt, pepper and garlic powder (and grated cheese if preferred). Stir to coat. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour.
• Toss over angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH MOZZARELLA, TOMATOES, AND BASIL

Steps:

• Prepare a barbecue (or preheat a broiler). Cut the eggplants into slices about 1/2-inch thick. Spread on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil on both sides. Set aside.
• Cut mozzarella in half crosswise, then slice each half about 1/4-inch thick to create half-moon shaped pieces. Slice tomatoes in the same manner. Arrange tomatoes and mozzarella decoratively around the edge of a large serving platter.
• Place eggplant slices on barbecue (or place on baking sheet in broiler) and cook, turning once, until nicely charred on each side; the eggplant should almost caramelize. Arrange the cooked eggplant down the center of the serving platter, surrounded by the tomatoes and mozzarella. Pluck about 12 large leaves from the basil bunch, stack them, roll them up like a cigar, then slice crosswise into thin shreds (?chiffonade?). Scatter the basil shreds over the vegetables and cheese, then drizzle balsamic vinegar and more olive oil over all. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste, and let stand until eggplant is at room temperature.

MOZZARELLA, TOMATO AND EGGPLANT STACKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (approximately 390°F). Rinse the eggplant, remove the stem, and slice crosswise. Place in a bowl of well-salted cold water and let stand 20 minutes. Squeeze the eggplant to remove excess water and seeds and pat dry with paper towels. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a skillet and saute the eggplant slices over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Rinse, core and slice the tomatoes.
• Cut mozzarella into slices. Make alternating stacks of eggplant, tomato and mozzarella slices and basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Place in a greased baking dish and bake until the cheese has melted and the stacks are hot, about 15 minutes.
• Serve garnished with basil.

EGGPLANT, HEIRLOOM TOMATO, AND BUFFALO MOZZARELLA STACKS

Steps:

• Heat a gas grill to medium high or prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire.
• In a medium bowl, mix the olive oil, thyme, marjoram, lemon zest, red pepper flakes (if using), 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
• Brush the tomatoes and eggplant slices with 1 tablespoon of the herb oil olive. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Marinate the mozzarella in the remaining oil.
• Grill eggplant, flipping once, until nicely browned and tender, 2-3 minutes.
• To serve-put a tomato slice on four plates. Top each with a slice of eggplant, hen a slice of mozzarella Repeat, ending with a tomato slice. Drizzle with any remaining oil and serve.

EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) TOMATO AND CHEESE BAKE

Steps:

• Dip eggplant in flour, then egg and then in bread crumbs.
• Heat 1/4 inch oil in skillet and cook eggplant in batches, until golden brown on both sides.
• Place cooked eggplants on paper towels to drain and season with salt and pepper.
• In bottom of baking dish alternate layers of tomatoes and eggplant, salt and pepper, grated Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella slices, ending with Mozzarella on top.
• Bake in pre heated oven 350F degrees uncovered, for 60 minute.