Eggplants with Tomatoes and Cheese

By LoriCaputo

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, 1 ½ lbs.
• Salt
• 1 1/3 lbs. Tomatoes
• 3 tbs. Extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for frying
• 1/4 ¼ cup whole almonds, finely chopped
• 14 whoe basil leaves
• 3/4 ¾ cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 ¾ lb goat cheese

Preparation

Step 1

Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Cut eggplant into ¼ inch thick rounds and arrange in 1 layer on prepared pan. Lightly salt rounds and cover with a second sheet of parchment paper, and top with a heavy pot to weigh it down. Let sit at room temperature until liquid is released about 30 minutes. Meanwhile bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes and cook for 20 seconds. Drain and immediately run under cold water for 5 seconds. Peel, seed, and slice tomatoes; place in a medium bowl.
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add almonds, cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Pour mixture over tomatoes. Tear 2 basil leaves, add to the tomato mixture and stir to combine; set aside. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Remove parchment paper from eggplant rounds and pat rounds dry with paper towels. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Fill a large skillet with ½ inch oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, lightly coat both sides of eggplant with flour. Fry until golden on both sides, 2 – 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
In an 8 x 12 inch baking dish, layer eggplant, tomato mixture and cheese, stacking layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with a layer of cheese. Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with remaining basil leaves