• Cuisine: Italian
• Course: Main Course

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 medium eggplants (about 14 to 16 ounces each)
• Fine sea salt
• 15 basil leaves
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, preferably buffalo mozzarella
• 1 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped (not the juices)
• 2 to 4 medium cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 to 3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup fine plain dried bread crumbs

Directions:

Cut the eggplants lengthwise into 1-inch-thick slices (like planks). Sprinkle with salt and leave to sweat in a colander.

Tear the basil into small pieces and the mozzarella into small chunks, combining them in a metal sieve or colander. Add the chopped tomatoes and the garlic to taste; toss to mix well and let drain.

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Use paper towels to pat dry a few of the eggplant slices. Brush one side of the slices with a little of the oil and place the slices oiled side down on the pan. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes to achieve nice grill marks; if the eggplants create more than a little smoke, reduce the heat as needed. Brush the top sides with some of the oil, then turn the slices over. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the slices start to collapse. Repeat with the remaining slices. As you work, transfer the cooked slices to a large, ungreased rectangular baking dish, arranging them so they overlap.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix half of the Parmesan cheese (to taste) with the mozzarella-tomato mixture, and combine the remaining Parmesan with the bread crumbs. Top each slice with Parmesan-mozzarella-tomato mixture, then scatter the remaining oil and the bread crumb mixture on top of each slice. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, until heated all the way through.

Recipe Source:

From Gastronomer Andreas Viestad.

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