A mouth-watering dish straight from the southern France.
Ingredients
- 500 g eggplants (2 pieces)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 kg tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon thyme or Herbes de Provence
- ½ cup basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon butter or plant-based butter
- Coarse sea salt, ground pepper
Preparation
- Trim the ends of the eggplants and slice them into approximately 1.5 cm thick rounds. Lightly sprinkle salt on both sides and lay them on paper towels for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
- Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, then remove, peel, quarter, remove the cores, and dice them. Place in a bowl along with any juices.
- Pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush both sides with olive oil using a pastry brush, then season with pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip the slices and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 230°C (450°F).
- To the diced tomatoes, add pressed garlic cloves, thyme (or Herbes de Provence), season with salt and pepper, and mix well.
- Arrange half of the eggplant slices in the bottom of a baking dish (starting with the smaller slices). Layer half of the tomatoes with their juices on top of the eggplant, then sprinkle half of the basil.
- Arrange the remaining eggplant slices and cover with the remaining tomatoes and juices. Press lightly with a spoon.
- Sprinkle the remaining basil, reserving a few leaves for garnish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the casserole and distribute small pieces of butter on top.
- Bake uncovered in the preheated oven at 230°C (450°F) for 20 – 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, garnish with the remaining basil leaves, and serve.
