Eggplant Mozzarella And Pesto Gratins Recipes

EGGPLANT, TOMATO, AND PESTO STACK

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse 1/2 cup walnuts until finely chopped. Add 2 cups basil and garlic, and pulse while slowly adding 1/2 cup oil, scraping down sides as needed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add Parmesan; season with salt and black pepper; process until pesto is well combined. Heat oven to 400°F. Brush eggplant slices with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with sea salt; roast on a baking sheet, turning once, until tender and golden, 20 minutes. Top each with 1 tablespoon pesto. Alternately layer 2 eggplant slices, 2 tomato slices and 1 slice mozzarella. (Refrigerate any remaining pesto for another use.) Divide balsamic vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons walnuts and basil leaves among stacks.

BAKED EGGPLANT WITH PESTO, PARMESAN, AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Salt the eggplant slices and lay on a paper towel for 20 minutes to extract any bitter flavors.
• Pat the slices dry.
• Grill the slices (I use a dry grill pan on the stove top but you could also broil) until soft but not all the way done.
• Heat a skillet and add 2 TBS olive oil, Saute onion, garlic, and bellpepper until soft.
• Salt and pepper liberally.
• Stir in the wine and chicken broth and reduce to about 1/2 Cup.
• Stir in pesto and tomato paste and remove from the heat.
• In a casserole dish sprinkle the remaining 1 TBS olive oil and lay one layer of eggplant slices on top.
• Spread 1/3 of the sauce on the eggplant and top with 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers.
• Top with the remaining cheese.
• Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until cheese is browning and bubbly and eggplant slices are soft.

FRIED EGGPLANT AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Directions:.
• Sprinkle the salt onto the eggplants slices and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Rinse the salt from the eggplant slices and pat them dry.
• Form sandwiches out of 2 slices of eggplant with a slice of mozzarella and a basil leaf in the middle.
• Dredge the eggplant sandwiches in the flour.
• Dip them into the egg and then in the bread crumbs to coat.
• Fry in oil until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes each.
• Cut into four and serve with a tasty tomato sauce.

MINI EGGPLANT PARM, ROASTED CHERRY TOMATO, BASIL PESTO

Steps:

• In a blender, combine the pine nuts, basil, parsley, 6 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Blend on high until smooth. (TIP: Add 2 ice cubes to the blender to reduce the heat from the motor, which will ruin the color.) Season with salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container until needed.
• Slice the eggplants into 1/4-inch rounds. With a 4-inch square cookie cutter, cut out 12 portions. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Cut thin slices of mozzarella trimmed to fit the top of the eggplant slices. Set aside until needed.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• To set up a breading station, put the flour in a shallow bowl and the eggs in a second shallow bowl. In a third shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Dredge the eggplant pieces first in the flour, shaking off the excess, then in the egg, shaking off the excess again and finally in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off the excess breadcrumbs.
• Pour canola oil into a wide-bottomed pot to a depth of 1 1/2 inches and heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350 degrees F (or use a deep fryer).
• Put the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt. Roast in the oven until blistered, about 5 minutes.
• Fry the breaded eggplant cut-outs in the hot oil until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
• On a new baking sheet lined with parchment paper, arrange the eggplant pieces. Top with the mozzarella pieces. Put in the oven or under the broiler until the mozzarella is melted.
• To plate: Put a dollop of the pesto on the bottom of each plate. Place an eggplant/mozzarella piece on top and garnish with a blistered tomato. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

ROASTED TOMATO AND EGGPLANT GRATIN

Steps:

• For the gratin topping: Combine the panko, pecorino, oil, oregano salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix until the crumbs are evenly coated with the oil.
• For the eggplant and tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the onions, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, tomato puree, oil, soy, sriracha, garlic and eggplant flesh in a large bowl. Add half of the gratin topping. With your hands or two spoons, gently mix the vegetables and topping until thoroughly combined.
• Put the scooped-out eggplants in a baking dish. Pour the eggplant and tomato mixture into the eggplants and top each with the remaining gratin topping. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the top. Bake, uncovered, until the eggplants are tender and the tops are lightly browned, 45 to 60 minutes. If after 30 minutes the tops are browning too rapidly, cover the dish with foil for the remaining cooking time.
• Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with olive oil to taste.

EGGPLANT, MOZZARELLA, AND PESTO GRATINS

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add eggplant to oil and sauté until light brown, turning once and adding up to 2 tablespoons more oil as necessary, about 1 minute per side. Transfer eggplant to paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Cook tomatoes in boiling water for 1 1/2 minutes. Peel, seed, and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and half of garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato, thyme, 2 tablespoons water, and bay leaf; reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Season tomato mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
• Place basil, 3 tablespoons oil, pine nuts, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, and remaining half of garlic in processor; puree. Set pesto aside.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 4 individual gratin dishes (about 7x4 3/4 inches) on rimmed baking sheet. Place 2 slices eggplant in 1 prepared dish. Top with 1/4 of tomato mixture, 3 slices mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons pesto, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layering of remaining ingredients in 3 gratin dishes. Bake until heated through, about 8 minutes. Preheat broiler. Broil until cheese bubbles, about 3 minutes. Serve hot.

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.