Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables. It's earthy, savory and melds with other flavors without losing its own. I used to be stumped about how to prepare it at home, though, until I took a cooking class a year or two ago that focused solely on eggplant. I've found that grilling is an easy way to get eggplant slices tender and flavorful enough for a variety of recipes, from lasagna to baked/breaded roll-ups. We had some potato rolls left over from the weekend, so sandwiches made sense. The goat cheese added a tangy creaminess to the hearty eggplant and tomato, which I enjoyed, but if I did it again I'd use a better, crust-ier bread. The rolls got a little soggy and I think a better bread would also give it a satisfying crunch.
Also - I try to avoid cooking with salt, but I use a little salt here. Very little. But when I'm grilling vegetables I've found that a little kosher salt draws out the flavor in a noticeable way. That being said, it's not absolutely necessary.
Total time to cook: 15 minutes
Makes four sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 small eggplant, slice width-wise into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 large tomato, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup goat cheese (large chunks or slices)
4 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
Pepper
Bread (something with a good crust)
Steps:
- Heat a grill pan over medium heat (or use a real grill if you're lucky to have one.)
- As the pan is heating, brush one side of the eggplant slices with olive oil.
- Season with a little salt on each and a light dusting of pepper.
- When the pan is hot, cook the eggplant, starting with the seasoned sides down.
- Grill for about five minutes on each side (or until you have full grill marks and the eggplant is soft and translucent), turning them midway to make grill marks.
- Put the eggplant slices aside.
- Briefly grill the tomato slices, no more than 1 minute per side.
- Build the sandwich: an eggplant slice, a tomato slice, a quarter of the goat cheese and repeat.
- Serve immediately.
No comments:
Post a Comment