Grilled Eggplant Towers With Tomatoes And Fetafrom Eating Well Recipes

EGGPLANT PARMESAN TOWERS

Steps:

• To make a quick marinara sauce, place a saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Pour in the red wine and cook for 1 minute to reduce. Using your hands or a potato masher, crush the tomatoes and add to the saucepot, including any juices from the can. Stir to combine. Add 1 whole stem of fresh basil leaves. Bring the sauce to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium low. Allow the sauce to continuing cooking while the rest of the components are prepared.
• Pour the vegetable oil into a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot and attach a deep-frying thermometer. Heat the oil over medium heat to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and top with a cooling rack.
• Set up 3 low-sided dishes to make a breading station: To the first dish, add the flour, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and stir to combine. In the second dish, beat the eggs. To the third dish, add the breadcrumbs.
• Dredge both sides of the eggplant slices in the seasoned flour, shaking each piece to remove any excess. Next, dip the eggplant slices into the egg, allowing it to drip before moving onto the third dish. Then, coat the eggplant in the breadcrumbs evenly on both sides.
• Working in batches, carefully place the breaded eggplant into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to the cooling rack on the baking sheet. Sprinkle each slice generously with kosher salt. Continue this process until all the eggplant rounds have been fried.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the basil stem from the marinara sauce.
• Remove the paper towels from the baking sheet. Build towers on the cooling rack: Top a slice of eggplant with 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce, 1 tablespoon mozzarella, 1 tablespoon Parmesan and 1 basil leaf. Place a second piece of eggplant on top and repeat this process. Top the tower with a third piece of eggplant and repeat only with sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan (no basil). Repeat this process to create 8 towers on the cooling rack.
• Bake until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top, about 20 minutes. Transfer the towers to a serving platter. Garnish each eggplant tower with a fresh basil leaf and serve immediately.

GRILLED EGGPLANT PARMESAN STACKS

Steps:

• Trim ends of eggplant; cut eggplant crosswise into eight slices. Sprinkle with salt; let stand 5 minutes., Blot eggplant dry with paper towels; brush both sides with oil and sprinkle with pepper. Grill, covered, over medium heat 4-6 minutes on each side or until tender. Remove from grill., Top eggplant with mozzarella cheese, tomato and Parmesan cheese. Grill, covered, 1-2 minutes longer or until cheese begins to melt. Top with basil.

GRILLED EGGPLANT AND TOMATOES WITH CHERMOULA

Steps:

• Prepare a hot grill. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, sprinkle with salt and brush on both sides with olive oil. Cut the tomatoes in half, sprinkle with salt and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Grill the eggplant on both sides until soft and charred. Grill the tomatoes on the cut side until grill marks appear, turn and grill briefly on the other side.
• Transfer the grilled vegetables to a platter. Spoon chermoula over the top. Serve hot or at room temperature.

GRILLED EGGPLANT TOWERS WITH TOMATOES AND FETA(FROM EATING WELL

Steps:

• .Heat grill to medium.
• Spread eggplant slices on 2 baking sheets or trays. Brush 1/4 cup oil over both sides of eggplant slices. Spray another baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange tomato slices onit.
• Season eggplant and tomatoes with pepper.
• Oil the grill rack. Grill the eggplant slices until browned and tender, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
• Set aside. Place the baking sheet with tomatoes on the grill rack; cover and grill until tomatoes are bubbling and warm, about 7 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F Spray six 7-10 oz ramekins ar custard cups 9 about the sane size as eggplant slices) with cooking spray.
• Assemble the towers. Using a wide spatula, layer an eggplant slice, a tomato slice, and a basil leaf in each ramekin. Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of feta. Repeat the layering once more, then top with an eggplant slice. Press down lightly.
• Place ramekins on a baking sheeet and bake until heated through and juices are bubbling around the edges. 25 to 35 minute.
• To serve, run a paring knife around the sides of each ramekin. Invert a plate on top and, grasping ramekins and plate with oven mitts, carefully invert the ramekins onto a plate. Very hot. Drizzle the tower with a little oiland garnish with basil sprig. Serve hot , warm or at room temperature.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH MARINATED FETA

Steps:

• Slice 2 eggplants 1/2 inch thick; lay on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and let sit 10 minutes, then pat dry. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil with 1 grated garlic clove in a saucepan, 1 minute. Stir in 1 tablespoon each chopped oregano and parsley, 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Let cool; pour over 4 ounces crumbled feta. Brush the eggplant with olive oil; grill over medium-high heat, 5 minutes per side. Top with the feta.

GRILLED EGGPLANT STACKS WITH TOMATO AND FETA

Steps:

• Blend basil with oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in blender until finely chopped. Pour into a paper-towel- or coffee-filter-lined sieve set over a bowl and let drain 20 minutes. Gather together sides of towel or filter and press gently on it to extract more oil. (You will have a generous 1/3 cup oil.) Reserve 1 tablespoon basil oil separately for serving. Scrape basil solids into a small bowl and reserve.
• Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas); see "Grilling Procedure," below.
• While grill heats, cut off bottoms of eggplants, then cut 6 (1/2-inch-thick) crosswise rounds from each, starting from cut end. Reserve remaining eggplant for another use. Cut 4 (1/3-inch-thick) rounds from large tomato and 2 center slices (1/3 inch thick) from each medium tomato, reserving remaining tomato for another use.
• Lightly brush eggplant rounds on both sides with basil oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill on a lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over occasionally, lightly brushing eggplant with more basil oil occasionally if it looks dry, until eggplant is very tender, 6 to 10 minutes. (Leave gas grill on.)
• Make stacks:
• On baking pan, arrange 4 largest eggplant rounds side by side and spread each with a generous 1/2 teaspoon of reserved basil solids, then top each with 1 of 4 largest tomato rounds. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper and top each with about 1 tablespoon feta. Make another layer with medium-size eggplant rounds, basil solids, medium tomato rounds, salt, pepper, and feta, then top with remaining eggplant and feta.
• Set baking pan on grill and cook stacks, with grill cover closed, until heated through and cheese on top is softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer stacks to 4 plates and drizzle plates with reserved basil oil.
• Grilling Procedure
• If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. When charcoal turns grayish white (about 15 minutes from lighting), hold your hand 5 inches above grill rack to determine heat for charcoal as follows:
• Hot: When you can hold your hand there for 1 to 2 seconds
• Medium-hot: 3 to 4 seconds
• Low: 5 to 6 seconds
• If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then, if necessary, reduce to heat specified in recipe.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH TOMATOES, BASIL, AND FETA

Steps:

• Generously season eggplant slices with salt. Place vertically in a colander, overlapping them. Let stand 30 minutes; rinse and pat dry.
• Preheat grill to medium-high. Liberally brush cut sides of eggplant with oil. Grill, turning once, until tender, about 4 minutes a side. Mix tomatoes, pine nuts, feta, red-pepper flakes, and oil; season with salt. Spoon over eggplant; top with basil.

GRILLED EGGPLANT AND PEPPERS WITH FETA

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Place eggplant and all bell peppers into a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with steak seasoning; coat well.
• Place eggplant and bell pepper slices directly on the preheated grill. Cook until eggplant is softened, marked, and slightly charred and peppers are softened and marked, 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat as necessary to prevent burning.
• Remove from grill. Arrange in 4 piles, starting with a slice of eggplant and alternating eggplant and pepper slices, including one slice of each bell pepper color in each pile. Top with feta cheese. Sprinkle with basil and oregano. Serve warm.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH FETA RELISH

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk vinaigrette and garlic powder until combined. Stir in feta, cucumber, tomato and onion. Refrigerate, covered, until serving., Brush eggplant with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from heat 4-5 minutes on each side or until tender. Top eggplant with feta mixture. If desired, sprinkle with basil.