Grilled Eggplant with Tomato and Fresh Italian Cheese Recipe

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This recipe is very easy to make and great for the summertime when it’s grillin’ time and these vegetables are in season.    The flavors are excellent and you will love it!

The beauty of recipes like this one is that you can use the dish as either a side dish, lunch or make it more of a main dish by placing the vegetables on top of some fresh pasta.

One tip however is to make sure when making the pasta to reserve some pasta water off to the side.  You don’t want the pasta to be sticky so by adding in some pasta water (no regular water) it will help it from becoming a gummy mess.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil (for the veggies)
Regular olive oil (for the grill)

1 medium or large eggplant sliced thin in 1/4 inch slices
1 – 2 medium or large fresh tomatoes (try to use roma because they are nice and meaty) in 1/4 inch slices
6 ounces hard Italian cheese (Romano or Parmesan for example) sliced thin into 8 slices

Instructions:

1. Preheat the grill or broiler to medium heat
2. Brush the grates or broiler tray with the regular olive oil
3. Brush the eggplant with the extra virgin olive oil on both sides
4. Place on grill and cook for 4 minutes on each side until grill marks appear
5. When you turn the eggplant over, you can add a slice of the cheese and tomato on top and lower the grill cover to allow the cheese to melt.
6. Transfer to a plate using a wide spatula and serve over greens or lay on top of some fresh pasta
7. TIP:  If using as a stand along dish (without pasta) drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the salad with some extra virgin olive oil and a small dash of salt.

Keep in mind, you can be creative with this dish.   Improvise with what you have – if you don’t have blocks of cheese that you can peel in layers than try shreddded or grated.

It is not always easy to switch things out when making meals unless you’ve done it before with success.  Of course you will never have done it before if there was never a first time.

Remember too, adjust quantities to whatever you like.  I personally like additional tomatoes – especially if over pasta.   Try tossing in some fresh basil leaves too!

Enjoy the dish and enjoy the last month of summer!

Liz
www.simpleitaliancooking.com