1 Picture
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pounds eggplants (two medium ones), sliced horizontally into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
- 2 1/2 to 3 About 2 1/2 to 3 teaspoons Cavender's Greek Seasoning
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, or as needed
- 6 to 8 hard-cooked eggs (divided use)
- 2 (8-ounce) balls fresh mozzarella, preferably from The Mozzarella Company, sliced 1/4-inch thick (divided use)
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, such as Sclafani (sold at Jimmy's Food Store) or Cento brand (divided use)
- 2 ounces of Pecorino Romano cheese (or Reggiano Parmigiano), grated with a microplane grater to yield about 1 densely packed cup (divided use), plus additional for serving if desired
- 1 teaspoon, dried whole oregano, crumbled with your fingers (divided use)
Details
Servings 1
Adapted from dallasnews.com
Preparation
Step 1
Lightly sprinkle both sides of each eggplant slice with about a pinch of Greek seasoning. Brush both sides with olive oil.
Fire up the grill to medium high; clean and oil the grill grate. Working in batches, arrange eggplant slices on the grate. Grill until the undersides are golden and have dark brown-to-black grill marks, about 4 minutes. Turn and grill the other side for 3 to 4 minutes, until similarly colored on the outside, and the centers are tender and grayish colored. If they aren't cooked through, but already have black grill marks, give them a quarter turn to finish cooking them (this way you'll avoid burning where the first set of grill marks appear). If some slices get charred, don't worry - you can still use them. Transfer grilled eggplant to a platter and set aside.
Using an egg-slicer, cut the eggs into horizontal medallions. Set aside. Break fresh mozzarella slices into pieces about as big as your thumb and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush the interior of a 2 1/2-quart, oven-proof glass or stoneware bowl-shaped casserole or bowl with about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil (do not use a metal bowl or casserole, as it will interact with the tomatoes, imparting an unpleasant taste). Spread about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of tomatoes on the bottom. Add a layer of eggplant, to cover the bottom. Dot with about 1 1/2 sliced eggs. Fill in the egg layer with one fifth of the mozzarella. Lightly sprinkle with about 1/4 of the Pecorino cheese. Evenly spread with about 3/4 cup of the tomatoes.
Make a second layer of eggplant, egg, cheeses and tomatoes; this time, sprinkle the tomato layer with half of the crumbled dried oregano. Make two more layers of eggplant, egg, cheeses and tomatoes, topping the final tomato layer with the remaining fifth of mozzarella, and sprinkling it with the remaining ½ teaspoon of crumbled dried oregano. Cover with foil, or the casserole lid, if there is one.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until bubbly on the edges, and piping hot in the center (place a baking sheet under the casserole to catch anything that bubbles over, and remove lid or foil for the last 15 minutes of baking). Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into wedges as you would a cake, so that every serving includes all the layers. Leftovers reheat well.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Source: Alfonso Cevola
PER SERVING (based on 7): Calories 655, Fat 56 g (17 g sat), Cholesterol 208 mg, Sodium 408 mg, Fiber 6 g, Carbohydrates 17 g, Protein 23 g, Sugar 9 g
A Montepulciano D' Abruzzo, such as Cantina Frentana Rubesto Montepulciano D' Abruzzo, ($15.99 at Jimmy's Food Store and Pogo's)
A Calabrian red wine such as Statti Lamezia Rosso DOC, 2014 ($13.99 at Jimmy's Food Store and Pogo's)
Tina Danze is a Dallas freelance writer.
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