Stacked Tomato Eggplant Goat Cheese Salad Food

EGGPLANT SALAD WITH TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Brush both sides of eggplant with 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper., Broil eggplant 3-4 inches from heat or grill, covered, over medium heat, until tender, 4-5 minutes per side., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, basil, parsley, vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil and remaining salt and pepper. Toss arugula with remaining oil and divide among 8 plates. Top each with eggplant, tomato mixture and goat cheese.

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.

GRILLED EGGPLANT AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the olive oil over the slices of eggplant and toss to coat. Grill the eggplants until tender and grill marks appear, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Place the eggplants side-by-side on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, goat cheese, basil, and mint. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
• Cook's note: Plating the eggplant salad this way allowed the cheese to stay bright white. The salt and pepper showed up on it. The herbs remained green and fluffy. The grill marks on the eggplant were distinct.

GRILLED EGGPLANT STACKS WITH GOAT CHEESE, TOMATO AND BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut the eggplant into ½" thick rounds. Lightly season them with salt on both sides and let sit on a paper towel for 30 minutes to let water to come out of the eggplant.
• Brush or drizzle olive oil on top of each slice and grill them for 2 -3 minutes each side until cooked.
• Blend the basil leaves with 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor or blender until smooth.
• Cut the tomatoes crosswise to 1/4" thick rounds.
• On an oiled baking pan or using parchment paper, arrange 4 eggplant rounds side by side. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of the basil-garlic mixture on top of each one, then generously sprinkle the cheese crumbs. Top each with tomato rings. Add another layer of eggplant, basil spread, cheese and tomato rounds and top with the rest of the crumbled feta. Make as many layers as you can. Usually, 1 large eggplant will make 4, 3 layer stacks.
• Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes until the tomatoes are wilted and the cheese is soft and melted.
• Enjoy!

EGGPLANT WITH TOMATO-MINT SAUCE AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with oil spray. Arrange eggplant rounds on prepared sheets; brush lightly with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 10 minutes. Turn rounds over and bake until tender and golden, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes with their juices, mint and oregano and simmer until sauce thickens and is reduced to 1 3/4 cups, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon half of tomato sauce into shallow 2-quart baking dish. Arrange eggplant rounds atop sauce, overlapping slightly. Spoon remaining sauce over. Sprinkle cheese over. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with basil.

STACKED TOMATO SALAD WITH BLACK OLIVE TAPENADE AND SWEET BASIL DRESSING

Steps:

• Place a tomato slice on a plate and spread with some of the tapenade. Then place a slice of the mozzarella on top, add a few basil leaves, and finish with another tomato slice. You can add another layer to make Napoleon as high as you desire. Top with another small spoonful of the tapenade and then drizzle the Sweet Basil Dressing over the tomato and around the plate. Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil and repeat to make 4 to 6 plates.
• Combine olives, garlic, anchovies and pine nuts in a food processor and process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Whisk together vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and then stir in the basil.

EGGPLANT ROULADES WITH GARLIC GOAT CHEESE AND ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• In a small bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, garlic, seasonings, and herbs. Lay the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the tomatoes look slightly dehydrated and the skins are wrinkled. Let the tomatoes cool to room temperature, then transfer them to a bowl or storage container (be sure to include any of the richly flavored tomato oil that's left on the baking sheet). These can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator (bring to room temperature before using). You may keep the tomato halves whole or chop them up.
• Place the Garlic Confit and the softened goat cheese in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside until the eggplant is ready. The garlic goat cheese can be prepared the day before, but remove it from the refrigerator to soften before assembling the dish.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Combine the olive oil with the lemon juice, cumin, and a little salt and pepper.
• Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with the seasoned oil and lay them out on a baking sheet. Bake about 5 minutes, then use a metal spatula to turn the slices and continue baking until eggplant is cooked through and is a light golden brown. Leave the oven turned on.
• Remove the eggplant from the oven. Lower the oven to 350°F. Loosen the slices with a spatula and let them cool. Spread each slice with about 2 tablespoons of the goat cheese mixture and roll up from the smaller end to the larger. If you like, tie each roulade with a blanched chive. Place the roulades on a baking sheet and, when you're about ready to serve, return them to the oven for 10 minutes or until heated through. Serve the roasted tomatoes alongside the roulades.

ROAST EGGPLANT SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400°F Brush the eggplant slices with 1 tbs of the oil, then season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange on a baking tray or sheet and roast for 20 mins until browned, popping the tomatoes on the tray for the final five minutes.
• Tear the flatbread or pita into pieces and place on a separate baking sheet. Brown in the oven for 8 mins or until crisp, then remove.
• For the dressing, in a small bowl, mix the vinegar, mint, chopped shallot, chili, remaining oil and some salt and pepper.
• Scatter the eggplant slices, tomatoes, sliced shallot and crisp flatbread into a serving bowl. Pour over the dressing, sprinkle with the goat cheese and scatter over a little arugula.