Eggplant Tortino Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler.
• Lay the eggplants in a single layer on a baking sheet and broil them, flipping once or twice, until they are soft and blackened on all sides, about 15 minutes. (If you have a gas stove, you can do this by holding the eggplants with tongs over a burner on medium-high heat, turning them so they blacken on all sides.)
• Place the softened eggplants in a ziplock bag. Set aside for 10 minutes to steam (this makes the skin easier to peel). Peel the eggplants, discarding the skins, and use a fork to gently flatten the flesh.
• Put the eggs in a shallow bowl. Beat well and season with salt and pepper.
• In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Dip each eggplant in the beaten eggs, letting it soak for a second or two so that it is well covered with the egg. Season the egg-dipped eggplant with additional salt and pepper and place it in the skillet. Repeat with the other eggplant, making sure there's room between them in the skillet. Place 1 tablespoon of the crab (if using) on top of each eggplant, pressing it down with a fork.
• When the eggplants are crispy and browned on one side, 4 to 5 minutes, flip them over and cook until browned and crispy on the second side, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the eggplants to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Serve hot or at room temperature, with fish sauce.

Steps:

• Place the eggplant slices on the wheat bread so that it is covered. On top place the tomato slices side by side. Cut the tartine in 4 equal triangles. Place the pieces on a plate. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan on top and then garnish with the sliced cucumber, lemons, and parsley and serve.
• This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

Steps:

• Combine oil and minced thyme, basil, and parsley.
• Trim eggplant ends and discard. Rinse eggplant, cut into 24 equal rounds, and brush lightly with some of the herb oil.
• Rinse and core tomatoes, then trim thin slices off tops and bottoms. Cut yellow tomatoes into 24 equal rounds; cut red tomatoes into 12 equal rounds.
• Cut cheese into 12 equal rounds.
• Lay tomato slices in a 10- by 15-inch pan. Drizzle with herb oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Lightly oil a barbecue grill over a solid bed of medium-hot coals or medium-high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 3 to 4 seconds). Lay eggplant on grill; close lid on gas barbecue. Cook eggplant, turning once, until soft when pressed, 5 to 7 minutes total. Let cool.
• For each tortino, stack 1 slice each yellow tomato, eggplant, mozzarella, and red tomato, then top with 1 more slice each eggplant and yellow tomato. Set stacks on a platter. Reserve 2 teaspoons of pan juices from tomatoes; use remainder in other salads.
• In a 2- to 3-quart pan over high heat, boil vinegar until reduced to 2 tablespoons, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring as it nears the end of cooking.
• Mix the reserved tomato juices with vinegar and drizzle over tortinos. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

Steps:

• Fresh Tomato Sauce: Heat oil in a medium straight-sided skillet over medium. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomato pieces with a wooden spoon, until tomatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Pass through the medium disk of a food mill. Sauce can be allowed to cool completely, then refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days. (Makes about 2 1/2 cups.)
• Involtini: Trim and cut eggplants length-wise into 1/4-to-1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a wire rack; season both sides with salt. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. Place currants in a small heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes, then drain. Finely chop half of mozzarella and place in a bowl with currants, ricotta, feta, pine nuts, cinnamon, oregano, parsley, breadcrumbs, and egg. Season with salt and pepper; stir to combine.
• Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Pat eggplant slices dry with paper towels and brush both sides of each evenly with olive oil. Brush grates with vegetable oil and grill eggplant slices, turning occasionally, until charred in places and tender, about 3 minutes a side.
• Transfer to a plate, piling slices on top of one another so that they continue to steam and soften. Let cool 15 minutes. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons filling at one short end of an eggplant slice. Roll up tightly to secure in a cigar shape. Repeat with remaining filling and eggplant slices.
• Spread tomato sauce evenly in the bottom of a 9-by-12-inch gratin dish or 9-inch square baking dish. Arrange eggplant rolls snugly in an even layer, seam-sides down. Thinly slice remaining mozzarella and arrange over top.
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Bake until cheese has melted and eggplant is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then garnish with basil and serve with bread.

Steps:

• 1 Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). 2 Using ⅓ cup (80 mL) olive oil, brush 2 baking sheets with a thin layer of olive oil then brush 1 side of eggplant slices lightly with olive oil, and place, oiled-side up, slightly overlapping, in a single layer on prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, switching positions in the oven halfway through or until eggplant is browned and softened. Let cool. Reserve. 3 Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil. Add Swiss chard, garlic and chili flakes and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until chard is wilted (if there is a lot of liquid, drain chard then return to skillet before adding cream). Stir in cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add provolone and stir until melted. Let cool, then stir in eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve. 4 Oil a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Cover bottom of springform pan with a third of eggplant slices, spread on half of chard mixture and top with half of buff alo mozzarella slices. Repeat layers ending with a layer of eggplant. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and bake for 30 minutes or until top is browned and filling is set. 5 Let stand for 10 minutes, then remove sides of springform and cut into slices to serve.