These are the proportions that I use for about 4 servings. This would fit in an 8 x 8 Corning ware dish.
You can make this ahead and reheat--it's even better that way. Make it in a non-reactive pan (i.e. glass or corning ware) and if you store it overnight, cover with plastic wrap not tin foil or else the acid in the tomatoes can react with the foil--this is NOT a candidate for disposable tin-foil pans!
When you reheat, you add some more cheese and reheat uncovered in a moderate oven until all bubbly and yummbly.
Ingredients
2-3 smallish eggplant.
I like them about 7 inches long/2 in around since they aren't too seedy yet. Eggplant should be firm and glossy, with no soft squishy bits.
5-6 ripe tomatoes (or 7-8 ripe plum tomatoes). Be sure they are nice and ripe and smell like tomatoes rather than like nothing.
2 small zucchini (optional, but tasty)
salt, pepper
olive oil--preferably extra virgin
good handful each of flatleaf parsley and basil
chunk of good parmesan for grating.
Oven at 425.
Prep-work:
Slice the eggplant longways in 1/4--1/3 in slices, and salt both sides generously with several big pinches of salt. Place in colander and put a weight on top to help squish out the juices and leave alone for a good 30 mins. People allege that this draws out the bitterness. I don't think that's entirely accurate, but salting helps break down the plant cell walls so that the eggplant gets softer and more unctuous in the baking process. Don't skip this step. (you can peel them first if you like but I never do)
While the eggplant is salting, slice the zucchini lengthways and slice the tomatoes--both a little thinner than the eggplant. I like to saute the zucchini (but only the zucchini) on both sides in a frying pan with olive oil and a pinch of salt until golden. this step is optional as is including the zucchini.
Rinse the eggplant under running water and squeeze HARD, like a sponge. The eggplant should be sort of soft and limp and not waterlogged.
Assembly
Chop the herbs up (you don't want to chop them too far ahead or else the basil will oxidize and turn all black)
Glug about a tablespoon of olive oil in your cooking vessel. Layer in eggplant, a scant sprinkle of salt and pepper, herbs, zucchini (if using) and tomatoes, and a little sprinkle of olive oil on the top layer. you can either do this in one layer (more surface area to caramelize) or in a few layers (more solid mass to get gooey and bubbly). you want to end with tomatoes and herbs on top and glug some olive oil over the top. Use your judgment with the oil, you want to anoint the layers, not drown them. Go easy on the salt...you will need some--but the parmesan and the eggplant
will already be a little salty.
Finish with a good generous grating of cheese.
Pop into the oven (uncovered) at 425. Start checking after 25 minutes. You can lower to 375 and cook for an hour (more or less, depending on the total volume of food you're cooking).
What you want to see is that it's bubbly and browning on the top--the tomatoes should be quite soft and beginning to brown as well. if you stick a knife into it, there should be no resistance. It should "smell done".
Options:
--Top with bread crumbs mixed with a little cheese and olive oil--making it more like an au gratin ( and crunchy on the top)
--Add rounds of goat cheese to the layers--not a lot--enough to know that there's something goaty going on in there. I'd stick to a mild fresh goat cheese or a mild goat cheddar--not a skeezy aged cheese for this dish.
What's in it for you
Olive oil is a good source of mono-unsaturated fats. Cheese provides calcium and tomatoes provide lycopene.
Thanks !
-- Posted by: choliflence at August 2, 2008 6:56 PM