Beginner Cook - Medium Cooking Time - Main Course - Gluten Free - Vegetarian - Vegan Option
If there was ever a dish that conveyed how melt-in-your mouth delicious eggplant can be, it's this one. The tomato can be prepared one of two ways (both listed below) - with tomato sauce, which yields a more intense tomato flavor, or diluted tomato paste, providing a "lighter" sauce. This dish is best served with pasta, rice, or on its own with a thick slice of country style bread.
Time - 1 hour and 30 minutes
Ingredients
Preparation
Time - 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Preparation - 45 minutes
- Baking (350 degrees) - 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 small eggplants
- 3 cups extra virgin olive oil
- 3 teaspoons tomato paste plus 3 cups water OR 15 ounces tomato sauce plus 1 cup water
- 2 roughly chopped garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta (omit if opting for a vegan preparation)
Preparation
- Wash and quarter the eggplants lengthwise
- Heat 3 cups of extra virgin olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat
- Cook the eggplants in the oil until a light golden color
- Remove the eggplant and place in a strainer (note - you will likely need to cook the eggplant in 2-3 batches, in order to avoid overcrowding the pan)
- Optional - let the cooked eggplant rest in a strainer 6-8 hours. This will allow them to release some of the oil absorbed during cooking
- Place the cooked eggplant in the bottom of a baking dish
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees
- In a bowl, stir together the tomato paste/sauce, water, salt, chopped garlic, and bay leaves
- Pour over the cooked eggplant
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the crumbled feta on top
- Place the dish back in the 350 degree oven and bake for another 15 minutes
- Serve hot or at room temperature
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