Baked Eggplant With Onions Fresh Tomatoes Recipes

Steps:

• Place eggplant slices in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with salt and toss. Let stand 30 minutes. Rinse and drain well. , Preheat oven to 450°. Layer eggplant, tomato and onion in a lightly greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons butter; sprinkle with basil. Cover and bake 20 minutes. , Toss bread crumbs and remaining butter. Arrange mozzarella cheese over vegetables; sprinkle with crumb mixture and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Steps:

• Trim the stem and bottom ends of each eggplant and, with a vegetable peeler, shave off ribbons of skin lengthwise, creating a zebra-striped pattern all around. Slice the eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Lightly salt the slices on both sides, using about a tablespoon in all, and layer them in the colander, set in a bowl or the sink. Invert a dinner plate over the piled slices, and weight it with cans or other heavy objects, to press out the vegetable liquid. Let the rounds drain for 30 minutes to an hour, then rinse them, and pat dry with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°.
• Trim the stem end of the plum tomatoes, and cut them in half crosswise. Squeeze the halves over a strainer set in a bowl, scraping out and catching the seeds in the strainer and collecting the tomato juices in the bowl. Cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch chunks, put them all in a bowl, and toss with the cubes of cheese, chopped basil, peperoncino, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil.
• Brush the bottom and sides of the baking dish with about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Lay the onion rounds in the bottom in one layer, with the garlic cloves scattered among them, and drizzle over them the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Lay the eggplant slices over the onions in an even layer, overlapping a bit if necessary. Scatter the tomato and cheese chunks evenly on top of the eggplant, and drizzle the collected tomato juices all over.
• Put the bread crumbs and all the dry seasonings in a bowl, toss to blend, then drizzle over them the 2 tablespoons olive oil, and toss well, until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Sprinkle them evenly over the top of the eggplant, tomato, and cheese layer.
• Tent the baking dish with a sheet of heavy aluminum foil, arching it so it doesn't touch the crumb topping, and pressing it against the sides. Set the dish on the baking sheet, place in the oven, and bake for 45 minutes, until the juices are bubbling actively. Remove the foil, and continue baking for another 30 minutes or so, until the eggplant is lightly caramelized on the edges but tender and easily pierced with the tip of a knife, and the bread-crumb topping is browned and crisp.
• Let the eggplant rest for 20 minutes before serving (it will absorb the sauce, and the cheese will settle a bit, too). Serve as you would lasagna, cutting portions with a knife and lifting them out with a wide spatula into warm shallow bowls. If you like, sprinkle shredded fresh basil over each portion.
• Baked Eggplant
• I know from years as a restaurateur that just about everyone, even the meat-and-potato type, loves eggplant parmigiana, hot from the oven, stuff ed with molten cheese. I love that Italian-American classic, too, but there are many more great eggplant dishes I've encountered in my travels through Italy, which I want to share with you.
• In Sardinia, I was delighted to find a tradition of baked eggplant dishes, with ingredients, tastes, and textures that I knew would appeal to Americans. Here are two-I couldn't choose between them, so I decided to give you both. They have tomato: fresh tomatoes in one, savory tomato sauce in the other. They have cheese: grated pecorino topping on one, a vein of young pecorino (or mozzarella) chunks in the other. Best of all, they have thick layers of tender yet meaty eggplant. And in these preparations, the eggplant slices don't need frying (as in most eggplant parmigiana recipes), which saturates them with more olive oil than necessary. No frying and great flavor-I love these and am sure you will, too.
• These are practical dishes as well. Best served hot, they are both also excellent at room temperature. And you can prepare either in advance, baking it three-quarters of the way to start, then finishing it when your guests arrive. Leftovers, if you have any, are a treat. A baked-eggplant sandwich is one of my favorites!

Steps:

• Position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant slices, season with salt and cook until golden on both sides. Remove to a plate and repeat with the onion slices.
• Rub a small flameproof baking dish with the garlic clove. Layer the eggplant, onions, and tomato slices in rows in the baking dish. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake until heated through and the tomatoes are soft but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes. Remove the baking dish and set the oven to broil. Sprinkle the tomatoes with the shredded cheese and broil to melt and brown the cheese, about another 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Season the eggplant slices with salt, and let stand for about 10 minutes. Drain off liquid.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Quickly brown the eggplant slices on each side.
• Place a layer of the eggplant slices in an 8 inch square baking dish or casserole dish. Place some tomato slices over the eggplant, and then a few slices of onion. Repeat layers until you run out of eggplant. Pour balsamic vinegar over everything. In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread in a layer over the vegetables.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is golden brown and the eggplant is tender.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Halve eggplants lengthwise and score flesh 1/2 inch deep in a crosshatch pattern to make 1-inch squares (do not cut through skin). Arrange eggplant halves, cut sides up, in a large roasting pan and season with salt.
• Cook onions in 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in tomatoes, parsley, basil, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons sugar, and salt.
• Divide topping among eggplant halves, mounding in centers. Stir together water, remaining 1/4 cup oil, and remaining tablespoon sugar until sugar is dissolved, then add to roasting pan. Cover pan tightly with foil and bake in middle of oven, basting eggplants every 15 minutes with cooking liquid, 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until eggplants are tender (they will collapse and flatten slightly) and cooking liquid is reduced and beginning to caramelize, about 40 minutes more. Serve hot or at room temperature, drizzled with pan juices.