I really wanted to try a new baked eggplant recipe that I found in a cookbook, Dishing Up Maine, but with Boston’s recent heatwave there was no way I was turning on any part of my stove to fuel the fire of my 85 degree apartment. Instead I made some changes to the recipe to make it grilling appropriate and headed to the back porch in search of some cool breeze.
Grilled Eggplant Stacks w/ Random Herb Pesto
Cheese and herb options are really up to the cook, I shared what I used in italics but left the ingredients quite vague in the recipe.
1 large eggplant sliced in 1/2 inch rounds
2-3 tomatoes, thickly sliced (make sure you have the same amount of eggplant and tomato slices)
sliced melting cheese (Brie)
olive oil, salt and pepper
Random Herb Pesto: grind up fresh herbs, toasted nuts, chopped garlic and olive oil in a food processor and season with salt and pepper. Adding a hodge podge of herbs is a good technique to use when your basil is getting low. (basil, chives, parsley, walnuts)
Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant with salt and let rest in a strainer or drying rack for 15 minutes. Dab moisture away with paper towels. Brush both sides with oil and place on a preheated grill and put the cover down. After a few minutes check for grill marks and flip. Spread the pesto on the gilled side and add the tomatoes to the grill.
Once the tomato slices are quickly grilled on both sides add them to the eggplant and cover with a piece of melting cheese. Turn the grill on low and shut the cover until the cheese is fully melted.
These eggplant stacks go great with some grilled bread and a garden salad. If your kitchen isn’t a bazillion degrees then I would also suggest making some couscous as a side.
