Slow roasting tomatoes requires minimal effort yet yields
great reward. By roasting sliced tomatoes at 250 degrees for around 2 hours
with olive oil, salt, and pepper, the flavor concentrates 10 fold and you are
left with slivers of robust, sweetly dense lobes that can contribute their delectableness
to just about anything. In my case I used them in my Eggplant Napoleon. Originally,
I had planned on making a rolantini, but time was not on my side so I came up
with another way to utilize my ingredients in a more time-friendly fashion.
Eggplant Napoleon
Depending on the size of your eggplant, makes around 4
towers
1 eggplant sliced into ½ inch rounds
10 slow roasted tomatoes
1 ball of fresh part skim mozzarella-thinly sliced
basil leaves-torn
chili flakes
olive oil
salt
Slow roasted
tomatoes
5 vine ripe roma tomatoes
olive oil
pinch of salt
sprinkling of pepper
Preheat oven to 250 degrees
Cut tomatoes in half and rub with a little olive oil and
dust with salt and pepper. Roast for 2-4 hours or until they resemble sundried
tomatoes. Sometimes I add a little oregano or fennel to them while they
roast. The tomatoes do not need to
be used all at once and can keep refrigerated
for a week.
Napoleon
Prepare a grill pan
Brush the eggplant rounds with olive oil and season with salt
Grill eggplant-about 4 minutes a side until grill marks
appear and the flesh and skin are soft
To assemble-
Place one eggplant round as the base, 2-3 oven roasted
tomatoes (depending on size), top with a slice of cheese, sprinkle some chili
flakes over the cheese, follow with 2-3 more oven roasted tomatoes, basil, a
grilled eggplant round, and top with a few leafs of basil.
That’s it! Supper simple and extremely flavorful, with a
huge help from the tomatoes.
I have always been fond of eggplant. At times this
member of the nightshade family can seem somewhat intimidating, and I am always
surprised when the white crunchy flesh breaks down to a smooth moist
consistency at a relatively quick pace. The purple hued orbs are bursting with phytonutrients.
Eggplant contain phenolics, which are believed to have antioxidant benefits
and may reduce cancer risk and improve memory. These nightshades also contain
fiber, which helps satiate and lower cholesterol, and Vitamin C, which boosts
the immune system and aids in the absorption of iron.
Eggplant is often seen in Western eyes as a long-time
component of Italian cooking. Yet, eggplant is multifaceted, and I look forward
to broadening my horizon and utilizing them in less conventional diversified dishes.
For now I hope you enjoy my homage to a feisty petite emperor!
