Stacked Tomato Eggplant Goat Cheese Salad Recipes

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 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.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN STACKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season eggplant with salt. Heat 1 cup oil (about 1/4 inch) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, so as to not crowd the skillet, fry eggplant rounds, turning once, until soft and pale golden, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
• Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and cook 20 seconds (do not let brown). Add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until tomatoes break down and are soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in oregano and basil. (Alternatively, stir oregano and basil into 1 1/4 cups Freezable Tomato Sauce Base.)
• Place 6 slices of eggplant on a rimmed baking sheet. Top each slice with 1 tablespoon sauce and a few pieces of mozzarella, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons Parmesan. Repeat layering twice.
• Bake until heated through and cheese is bubbling, about 12 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with oregano and Parmesan shavings.

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.