Baked Eggplant

Baked eggplant is a flavorful dish and quite simple to prepare. Here is the recipe with an Italian twist.

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized eggplants
• 2 cloves of garlic (optional)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt, as needed
• Black pepper, as needed
• Aromatic herbs to taste (thyme, rosemary, oregano), chopped
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Grated pecorino cheese (optional)
• Cherry tomatoes or tomato sauce, for a juicier touch (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200° C.
2. Wash the eggplants and cut them into longitudinal slices about 1 cm thick.
3. Place the eggplant slices on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. If you intend to use garlic, you can chop it up and sprinkle it over the slices.
4. Season the eggplants with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, and the chopped aromatic herbs.
5. (Optional) If you like, you can add a thin slice of tomato over each slice, or a spoonful of tomato sauce.
6. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the eggplants are golden-brown and soft.
7. Halfway through cooking, you can sprinkle a little grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese over the eggplant slices if you desire a golden and flavorful crust.
8. Once cooked, let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

Baked eggplants can also make an excellent side dish or the base for a lighter version of eggplant parmesan if layered with mozzarella and tomato and then returned to the oven to gratinate.

Curiosity

Eggplants are very versatile and are used in various dishes of Mediterranean cuisine. Interestingly, although now associated with summer and Mediterranean dishes, eggplants originated in India and were introduced to Italy only around the 14th century.