Fanned Eggplant with Feta, Tomato and Herbs
MORE ABOUT THE EGGPLANT:
The eggplant is one of the most loved vegetables in Greek cuisine. It’s an ideal partner to quintessential Greek and Mediterranean ingredients like onion, garlic, tomato, zucchini, and peppers.
There are many eggplant varieties in Greece, from the light purple, long Tsakonitiki from the Peloponnese to small and large flask-shaped eggplants to prized white ones from Santorini. Nowadays, most eggplant varieties do not need to be salted before cooking because their bitter seeds have been bred out.
PREP TIME 15 minutes
COOK TIME 30 minutes
SERVES 4
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants washed, stems intact, and cut into slices like a fan
- Salt
- ½ cup extra virgin Greek olive oil
- 1 cup diced or cubed Greek feta
- 8 - 10 cherry or teardrop tomatoes cut into rounds
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley or basil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 to 4 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano to taste
Instructions
-
Hold the eggplant, one at a time, from the stem or near the stem at the densest part, and using a sharp knife cut the body of each eggplant into fan-like slices.
-
Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Place the eggplant one at a time if necessary to fit in the skillet. Pan-fry lightly until lightly golden on both sides, turning once in the process, and pressing down with a spatula to flatten a bit. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices and replenish the olive oil as needed.
-
Preheat the oven to 375F/180C. Lightly oil a baking pan. Place the eggplant slices on the oiled pan, season lightly with salt and pepper, dot with the tomato slices, and feta cubes, and bake until the eggplants are tender and the feta starts to melt. Sprinkle with the fresh and dried herbs and serve.