Baked Eggplant with Fontina

By bakers_delight85

Ingredients

• 4 small eggplant
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5 fresh basil leaves
• Fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound Italian fontina cheese, cut into small pieces

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the stems from the eggplant and discard. Cut the eggplant lengthwise in half.
Make small crisscross cuts that are about 1/2-inch deep in each cut side.
Mince the garlic with the basil, and place in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil. Set aside.
Insert cheese into the cuts of the eggplant. Spread the garlic mixture over the cuts.
Place the eggplant in a large baking dish in a single layer, or use two smaller baking dishes. Drizzle the eggplant with the olive oil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the eggplant are nicely browned and the cheese is bubbly.