Eggplant, Tomato And Mozzarella Stacks, Hot Or Cold

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• 2 eggplants (nicely round, not slender)
• 4 teaspoons olive oil (or more)
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• 8 slices mozzarella cheese (pre-spiced is fine)
• finely chopped herbs (like basil, oreganum, thyme)
• salt and black pepper
• 4 tablespoons vinaigrette dressing (if making this a salad)

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 350 deg f/180 deg celsius.
• 2 from each eggplant/aubergine, slice 6 rounds, about 1/3" thick. discard the thinner ends. you now have 12 rounds. put a sheet of nonstick baking paper on a cookie tin. arrange the slices in a single layer, and drizzle each with a little olive oil.
• 3 bake for about 15 minutes, or until the slices are soft -- do not burn. cool and keep.
• 4 to assemble, slice each tomato into 4 even slices, discarding the ends, so you have 8 tomato slices.
• 5 chop your herbs of choice finely, or use dried herbs if fresh herbs are not available.
• 6 starting with an eggplant slice, stack each of 4 stacks as follows: eggplant, tomato, mozzarella, eggplant again, tomato slice, eggplant, mozzarella slice.
• 7 season each layer lightly as you go, with just tiny pinches of salt, and a sprinkle of herbs and black pepper.
• 8 you will have 4 stacks, serving 2 - 4 people.
• 9 as a warm side dish: heat gently in a warm oven (under cooking point of 212 deg f) until the tomato slices are warm and the mozzarella melts. delicious with fried chicken pieces/.
• 10 as a salad: drizzle with a tangy french vinaigrette and serve with toasted bruschetta slices.