Eggplant Crostini Recipes

Steps:

• Place a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the onion, and sauté until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and continue to sauté until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Wash skillet and return to medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and allow to heat until shimmering. Working in batches if necessary, add a single layer of eggplant, and toss to coat in oil. Fry, stirring frequently, until tender and evenly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Wash skillet and return to medium heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and tomatoes. Sauté until tomatoes are tender but have not lost their shape, and almost all the liquid has evaporated.
• In a large bowl, combine eggplant, onion mixture, tomatoes, raisins and capers. Toss gently to mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve, toast the sliced bread, and top with a large spoonful of the caponata mixture. Sprinkle with a few drops of vinegar, and garnish with the basil chiffonade, and a few grains of flaky sea salt.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the eggplant and garlic on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Halve the eggplants and scrape the flesh into a bowl; discard the peel.
• Squeeze the softened garlic cloves into the bowl. Stir in the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Spread on grilled bread and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat grill or broiler.
• Brush each eggplant slice generously with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt.
• Place the slices on the preheated grill. Cook on both sides until the eggplant is soft and pliable and has a nice char. Remove from grill and let cool. When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, coarsely chop and reserve in a large mixing bowl. Add the ricotta, vinegar, oregano, Parmigiano and crushed red pepper and stir to combine. Season with salt and reserve.
• While the grill is still hot, grill the slices of bread on each side. When the bread comes off the grill rub each piece with a raw garlic clove and brush lightly with olive oil.
• Top each piece of bread with the grilled eggplant mixture.

Steps:

• Heat broiler. Peel, and trim eggplant, and slice into rounds about 1/2 inch thick. Lightly brush both sides of each slice with oil, arrange on a sheet pan, and broil about 6 inches from heat until golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Turn, and brown the second side. Remove from broiler, and stack slices so they steam to finish cooking.
• Toast pine nuts in a small skillet over low heat, shaking often, until golden. Cool. Using a large mortar and pestle, grind pine nuts with garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth. Coarsely chop eggplant, add to mixture, and work into a somewhat rough purée with the pestle or in a food processor. Add a little lemon juice to sharpen the flavor. Taste for salt; add more if needed, and season with pepper. Stir in herbs. Spread on baguette slices or crackers, and garnish with a basil leaf.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the baguette slices on a sheet pan, brush the tops with olive oil, then bake until lightly toasted, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a board or platter and set aside.
• Add the eggplant, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the sheet pan. Toss well and roast, tossing occasionally, until very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
• When the eggplant is done, in a large (12-inch) skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low. Add the onion and cook, tossing occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, red-pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook just until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the cooked eggplant, tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil and the red wine vinegar, and continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have completely fallen apart and the mixture has thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the mixture onto the baguette slices, top with the remaining basil and the ricotta salata, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• In a 5-quart Dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, raisins, pine nuts, garlic, and red-pepper flakes; cook stirring occasionally, until onion has softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, cocoa powder, and sugar; cook, stirring, until tomato paste is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggplant, vinegar, and 1/3 cup water.
• Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender and mixture is thick, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and more sugar (up to 1 tablespoon), as desired.
• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides bread with olive oil. Grill, turning once, until toasted and grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side.
• Top grilled bread with caponata; garnish with basil leaves. Caponata can be refrigerated up to 5 days in an airtight container; let cool completely before storing.