BRUSCHETTA WITH ROASTED EGGPLANTS, TOMATOES AND MOZZARELLA
Eggplant is the queen of Italian summer, in the garden and on the table. It’s a beautiful plant with cute purple flowers and its delicious fruits are adaptable to cook in many ways. In this recipe we’ll bake the eggplants with extra-virgin olive oil and coarse sea salt to use on toasted bread combined with mozzarella and tomatoes. The result is a delicious bruschetta, crunchy and soft at the same time, that delivers an explosion of summer flavors in your mouth.
Equipment
- knife and cutting board
- Parchment paper
- Bowl
- Large plate
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants
- 1 cloves garlic
- 3 handfuls fresh basil leaves - chopped
- 25 cherry tomatoes - chopped in quarters
- 2 small fresh mozzarella - chopped in dices
- 8 slices of country bread - a good quality
- 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 handful coarse sea salt
- fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390°F/200°C.
- Wash the eggplants and remove the stems. Cut them lengthwise in 3’’ pieces and remove the seeds if necessary.
- Arrange the chopped eggplants in a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Try not to overlap them. Drizzle with olive oil and coarse sea salt (this will pull out the water of the eggplant and they will be crunchy even if cooked in the oven).
- Roast the eggplants for about 25-30 minutes, until they are nicely charred. Make sure you don’t burn them!
- In a bowl, combine the tomatoes with chopped mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, salt and pepper.
- Toast the bread and place the slices on a large plate. Rub some garlic on each slice and top with some eggplants, the fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.Serve warm or at room temperature.