BAKED EGGPLANT

BAKED EGGPLANT

The ingredients in this can obviously be varied to suit your tastes (and, more likely, whatever you might happen to have on hand so you don't have to lug two cranky kids to the store at the last minute...), but this is how I made it and it was yummy!

Ingredients:
(Makes 4-6 servings)

1 eggplant, sliced in 1/2" rounds
1 zucchini, thickly sliced
1 yellow squash, thickly sliced
Salt
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
Dried basil, oregano and thyme
1 tsp. Meyer lemon juice
1 leek, thinly sliced
6 small-ish tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup bread crumbs
Spray olive oil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup crumbled herb-flavored feta cheese

Directions:

1.  Cover eggplant slices with salt and place in a colander in the sink for 15 minutes (or until the natives start grumbling for dinner).  Rinse eggplant slices and pat dry.

2.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat a 13 x 9 baking dish with olive oil spray.

3.  Lightly beat eggs with minced garlic in a flat-bottomed bowl or small rimmed plate.  In a second bowl or plate, mix bread crumbs with herbs to taste and a tablespoon or so of the Parmesan.  Arrange the bowls/plates right next to the stove.

4.  Heat a (preferably non-stick) pan over medium heat.  Take each eggplant slice, coat thoroughly in egg mixture, coat thoroughly in breadcrumb mixture, then spray each side with olive oil before placing gently in pan.  Flip when first side is browned and press down on second side with spatula to aid cooking.  Remove when both sides are well-browned or starting to burn.

5.  Place one layer of eggplant slices in the baking dish.  Add half of the tomatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash.  Sprinkle with half of the leeks.  Sprinkled with half of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan.

6.  Repeat with a second layer of all.  Sprinkle feta, lemon juice and more herbs to taste over the top.

7.  Bake uncovered for approximately 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.

8.  Slice and serve over cous cous.

Notes:

*Really good drizzled with chile pepper olive oil.

*Tastes even better the next day.

*Believe it or not, children will actually eat this because of all the cheesy goodness (or maybe it was the bribe of sherbert for dessert...?).

*Not sure if it mattered, but I put the tomato slices directly on top of the eggplant slices (thought the moisture might help with cooking) and the zucchini and squash slices kind of around the sides and in between (to keep the cheese from falling through and possibly burning).