Smokey Roasted Eggplants Peppers And Goat Cheese Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare a medium heat fire (400°F) in a wood-fired oven or cooker.
• Sauté the eggplants in the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat on the stove top, or directly in the wood-fired oven or on the cooker. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until soft. Set the eggplant aside on paper towels to drain. Lightly salt both sides.
• When there are some hot embers in the fire, place the red peppers, tomatoes, and garlic on the floor of the oven or bottom of the cooker near the embers. Rotate them frequently as the skins blister and char. Cook until the skins are fully charred, 5 to 7 minutes for the tomatoes and 10 minutes for the peppers. Cook the garlic until the skin is slightly charred and the cloves are soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• In a small bowl, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and mash with a fork to form a paste. Place the charred tomatoes and peppers in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sweat for 10 minutes. Remove the skins from the tomatoes and peppers. Slice open the peppers, remove the stems and seeds, cut into pieces about the same size as the eggplant, and set aside. Slice open the tomatoes and remove the seeds with your index finger or by squeezing gently. Dice the tomatoes and combine with the mashed garlic, herbs, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.
• Brush a clay casserole with olive oil and dust with a mixture of the bread crumbs and almond meal. Reserve the rest of the bread-crumb mixture. Line the casserole with one-third of the tomato mixture, then layer on slices of eggplant, goat cheese, red pepper, and bread-crumb mixture, followed by half of the olives. Salt and pepper each layer. Repeat the layers, finishing with the tomato mixture, parsley, and goat cheese. Whisk the eggs with the yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in the saffron liquid and pour the custard over the entire casserole.
• Bake for 25 minutes in a wood-fired oven, or until the casserole is bubbly and golden on top. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into portions and serving.

Steps:

• 1. Spread goat cheese on one side of bread.
• 2. Place eggplant and pepper on the other piece of bread.
• 3. Close sandwich.
• 4. Spread evenly 1/2 teaspoon of butter onto each slice of bread.
• 5. Grill over moderate heat for approximately 3-4 minutes.
• *To grill eggplant:
• Slice thinly, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and grill or broil for 4-5 minutes.
• **To roast peppers (also available in jars):
• Hold peppers over a flame until blackened, place peppers in a paper bag, peel and discard skins when cooled.

Steps:

• Heat your barbecue or broiler until hot. Position the rack about four inches from the heat.
• Brush the eggplant slices liberally with olive oil on both sides. Place them directly on the grill or under the broiler and cook until the eggplant is tender and lightly browned. Turn once. Watch carefully so they do not burn. Remove and set them aside on paper towels to cool slightly.
• Place the whole peppers on the hot grill, turning until the skin is completely charred. Place the charred peppers in a brown paper bag and close. Allow the peppers to steam for about 10 minutes. Remove and scrape off the charred skin, seeds and membranes, and slice into one-inch strips.
• Remove the stems from the eggplant. Arrange the eggplant slices, pepper strips and onion rings in a shallow bowl. Crumble the goat cheese on top.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, thyme, and salt and pepper. Drizzle it over the eggplant mixture. Sprinkle on the parsley and serve either warm or at room temperature. Add extra vinegar if needed.

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Arrange the eggplant slices in one layer on baking sheets, brush both sides of the eggplant with the oil, and sprinkle them with salt to taste. Broil the eggplant in batches about 4 inches from the heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until it is golden and tender, and transfer it with a metal spatula to paper towels to drain.
• Line a loaf pan, 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches, with plastic wrap, leaving a 3-inch overhang, and in it arrange the eggplant, the olive paste, the bell peppers, and the goat cheese in several layers, beginning and ending with the eggplant. Cover the eggplant with the plastic overhang, weight the terrine with a 3-to-4-pound weight (such as a loaf pan filled with canned goods), and chill it for 24 hours. (The terrine may be made 3 days in advance).
• Remove the weight, invert the terrine onto a cutting board, and discard the plastic wrap. Cut four 3/4-inch-thick slices from the terrine, pour about 2 tablespoons of the parsley sauce onto the center of each of 4 plates, tilting the plates to spread the sauce, and arrange a slice of the terrine on each plate. Garnish each serving with a parsley spring.
• To roast peppers:
• Using a long-handled fork char the peppers over an open flame, turning them, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the skins are blackened. (Or broil the peppers on the rack of a broiler pan under a preheated broiler about 2 inches from the heat, turning them every 5 minutes, for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the skins are blistered and charred.) Transfer the peppers to a bowl and let them steam, covered until they are cool enough to handle. Keeping the peppers whole, peel them starting at the blossom end, cut off the tops, and discard the seeds and ribs. (Wear rubber gloves when handling chilies.)
• Parsley sauce:
• In a blender purée the parsley and the garlic with the vinegar, the water, the oil, and salt and pepper to taste until the sauce is smooth and strain it through a fine sieve set over a small bowl, pressing hard on the solids. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Grease a fluted pan, pie tin, or shallow springform pan. Roll out the puff pastry to the width of the baking pan. Dust the rolling pin with flour and carefully roll the pastry back onto the rolling pin, then unroll it over the pan. Press the dough into place and crimp the edges. Brush the pastry with the softened butter.
• Place the bell peppers over an open flame or under the broiler and completely blacken them on all sides. Put the blackened peppers in a plastic bag, seal it, and allow them to steam for 20 minutes. Remove the peppers from the bag and peel away and discard all black skin. Cut the peppers in half and remove all seeds and veins. Cut into 1/2--inch thick strips.
• Cut the eggplant crosswise on the bias into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Brush the eggplant lightly with the clarified butter and season with salt and pepper. Roast the eggplant in the oven for 15 minutes, or until done but not mushy.
• Place the crumbled goat cheese on top of the pastry. Top the goat cheese with the eggplant and peppers in a spiral fashion, overlapping each. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the eggplant and peppers.
• Bake the tart for about 20 minutes, or until it is golden brown and the edges are puffy. Garnish with the fresh basil leaves.
• Whisk together the vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking. Toss with the greens and any remaining eggplant or peppers and serve on top of the tart.