Eggplant Bruschette Recipes

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Cut off and discard 1 end of baguette, then cut 12 (1/4-inch-thick) crosswise slices from baguette (reserve remainder for another use). Lightly brush 1 side of each slice with some oil (about 1 tablespoon total) and arrange, oiled sides up, on a baking sheet. Toast until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. While toasts are still warm, rub oiled sides with cut side of garlic clove half, then transfer to a rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Halve eggplant lengthwise and make shallow 1/2-inch-long incisions all over cut sides with tip of a paring knife. Arrange eggplant, cut sides up (without crowding), in a shallow baking dish and add unpeeled garlic clove. Sprinkle thyme, rosemary, oregano, sea salt, and pepper over eggplant, then drizzle eggplant and garlic with 2 tablespoons oil.
• Bake until garlic is very tender, 30 to 35 minutes, then transfer garlic to a cutting board and continue to bake eggplant until very tender, 20 to 25 minutes more. When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze flesh from peel onto cutting board.
• Transfer eggplant to cutting board and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Scrape out flesh with a spoon onto cutting board, discarding peel. Finely chop eggplant and garlic together and transfer to a bowl. Add parsley and remaining tablespoon oil, then stir until combined well. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
• Top toasts with eggplant mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

Steps:

• Place eggplant slices in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with salt and gently toss. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Coat both sides of each slice with cooking spray. Place on a broiler pan. Top eggplant with tomatoes, basil and cheeses. Broil 6 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes or until eggplant is tender and cheese is melted.

Steps:

• In a 1- to 12 inch saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat until smoking. Add the onion and cook until just softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and golden brown, about 7 minutes. Removed from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, preheat the grill or broiler.
• Toast the bread on the grill or under the broiler until golden brown on both sides.
• Stir the parsley into the eggplant mixture, spoon the mixture onto the toasts, and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange the eggplant on a half sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Reserve the bowl. Put it in the oven and bake until nicely charred, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the red pepper flakes and the garlic. Cook until the garlic browns, about for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the onion. Cook until onion softens, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Remove the eggplant from the oven and transfer it back to same bowl it was tossed in prior to baking. Add the onion mixture, the olives, capers, and roasted red peppers. Toss to combine. Add the sherry vinegar, fresh parsley and oregano and toss until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Cover and refrigerate for 25 to 30 minutes to cool and marry the flavors.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste, and the smoky paprika. Spread the oil mixture on both sides of each piece of bread. Heat a grill pan over high heat and toast the bread until grill marks form, flipping once. Remove the eggplant from the refrigerator and spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons on top of each piece of bread. Serve.

Steps:

• Place the eggplant in a colander. Sprinkle generously with salt and let stand 30 minutes. (This removes the excess water from the eggplant.) Rinse the eggplant and arrange in a single layer on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Pat dry. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high heat (see Cook's Note).
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Brush the eggplant and bread slices with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and pepper.
• Line a small rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Toss the grape tomatoes, vinegar, honey and the remaining tablespoon olive oil on the foil. Bake the tomatoes until they burst, about 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, grill the eggplant until browned and tender, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Grill the bread until toasted and grill marks appear, 1 minute on each side. Rub the cut sides of the garlic on the bread. Set aside.
• Transfer the tomatoes to a medium bowl. Coarsely chop the eggplant and add to the tomatoes. Add the chopped basil, then season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the ricotta onto the grilled bread. Top with the eggplant mixture and garnish with additional basil. Cut the bread in half, if desired.

Steps:

• Place eggs in a shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper. In another bowl, combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip eggplant in the flour mixture, eggs, then bread crumb mixture., In a large skillet, cook eggplant in batches in oil for 4-5 minutes on each side or until tender. Drain on paper towels., In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion and basil. Top each eggplant slice with mozzarella cheese and tomato mixture. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Steps:

• Place eggplant slices in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with salt and gently toss.
• Let stand about 30 minutes. Rinse and drain well.
• Coat both sides of each slice with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place on a broiler pan.
• Top eggplant with tomatoes, basil and cheeses.
• Broil until eggplant is tender and cheese is golden and bubbly.