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Eggplant & Tomato Gratin with Mint, Feta & Kalamata Olives



I like to leave eggplant unpeeled, as the purple skins make for a pretty gratin, but since eggplant

skin can get a little tough, I've included a suggestion on how to partially peel eggplant, culled from

Ayla Algar's terrific cookbook, Classical Turkish Cooking (HarperCollins). For a change of pace, try

this gratin in four individual dishes, rather than one large one.

Serves six to eight as a side dish; four as a main dish.



FOR THE EGGPLANT:

2 lb. eggplant

2-1/2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 tsp. coarse salt



FOR THE ONIONS:

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 medium onions (14 oz. total), thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced



TO ASSEMBLE THE GRATIN:

1-1/4 lb. ripe red tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. chopped fresh mint

6 oz. (1 cup) crumbled feta cheese

1/3 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1-1/2 Tbs. olive oil

1/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs mixed thoroughly with 1 tsp. olive oil and 1/3 cup chopped toasted pine

nuts



To cut and cook the eggplant -- Trim the ends from the eggplant and, using a vegetable peeler,

peel off 1/2-inch strips of skin along the length of the eggplant every 1/2 inch or so. (Or leave the

eggplant unpeeled, if you like.) Cut the eggplant crosswise into 3/8-inch slices and cut the widest

slices in half.



Heat the oven to 450°F. Cover two baking sheets with parchment. Lightly brush the parchment with

olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices in one layer on the parchment, brush them with the remaining

oil, and season with the 1/2 tsp. salt. Roast until the slices are lightly browned and somewhat

shrunken, 25 min., rotating the pans once after 12 min. Let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to

375°F.



To cook the onions -- In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and

sauté, stirring frequently, until limp and golden brown, about 20 min. Reduce the heat to

medium-low if they're browning too quickly. Add the garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant, 1 to 2

min. Spread the onions and garlic evenly in the bottom of an oiled 2-qt. shallow gratin dish

(preferably oval). Let cool.



To assemble the gratin -- Put the tomato slices on a shallow plate to drain for a few minutes and

then discard the collected juices. Sprinkle 1 Tbs. of the mint over the onions. Starting at one end of

the baking dish, lay a row of slightly overlapping tomato slices across the width of the dish;

sprinkle with some of the mint and some of the feta. Next, lay a row of eggplant slices against the

tomatoes (overlapping the first row by two-thirds). Sprinkle again with mint and feta. Repeat with

alternating rows of tomato and eggplant slices, seasoning each as you go, and occasionally

pushing the rows back. Tuck the quartered kalamata olives randomly between tomato and eggplant

slices.
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