Saturday, September 13, 2008

Cooking Fresh While the Heirlooms are in Season

I adore heirloom tomatoes and look forward to this season all year! I came up with a fresh twist on eggplant parm using ripe heirlooms. All you need is the tomatoes, an eggplant, fresh mozzarella cheese and a grill.

First, preheat the grill and adjust to a medium-low heat. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 4–6 slices (depending on the size). Remove the skin from the two outer slices. Brush each slice lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant, turning often to make sure it does not burn. While the eggplant is on the grill, slice and lightly salt the tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, and gather a hand full of fresh basil. Set the tomatoes aside. As soon as you pull the eggplant from the grill, layer it in a stack with the fresh mozzarella and some of the basil and allow the cheese to melt for a couple of minutes. Drizzle the stack with a little good extra virgin olive oil and top with the tomatoes and remaining basil! The only thing left to do now is enjoy! Bon Appetito!!

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