Eggplant And Olive Whole Wheat Crostini Recipes

EGGPLANT CAPONATA CROSTINI

Steps:

• Place a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the onion, and sauté until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and continue to sauté until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Wash skillet and return to medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and allow to heat until shimmering. Working in batches if necessary, add a single layer of eggplant, and toss to coat in oil. Fry, stirring frequently, until tender and evenly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Wash skillet and return to medium heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and tomatoes. Sauté until tomatoes are tender but have not lost their shape, and almost all the liquid has evaporated.
• In a large bowl, combine eggplant, onion mixture, tomatoes, raisins and capers. Toss gently to mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve, toast the sliced bread, and top with a large spoonful of the caponata mixture. Sprinkle with a few drops of vinegar, and garnish with the basil chiffonade, and a few grains of flaky sea salt.

EASY WHOLE WHEAT PASTA WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium (11-by-15-inch) roasting pan, combine eggplant, onion, tomatoes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and oil; toss well to coat. Roast until tender, tossing mixture halfway through, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot.
• Add roasted eggplant mixture, olives, and Parmesan. Toss to coat, adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup reserved pasta water, if desired. Serve immediately, sprinkled with more cheese.

WHOLE-GRAIN CROSTINI WITH BEANS AND GREENS

Steps:

• Prepare a grill or heat an oven to 400 degrees. Use about half the oil to lightly brush each slice of bread. Grill until grill marks appear or bake until golden and slightly crisp, about 10 minutes. (Turning is unnecessary but doesn't hurt.)
• Put remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and softened, about 5 minutes. Add beans and spinach, and stir. Cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach wilts, about 5 minutes more.
• Add sage and, if necessary, enough reserved bean liquid to keep mixture moist. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. (You can prepare and refrigerate all of this before assembling crostini; warm gently before proceeding.)
• Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon on top of crostini, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately

CAPONATINA SICILIANA (EGGPLANT, OLIVE, AND CELERY APPETIZER)

Steps:

• Trim the eggplants, cut them into 1-inch cubes, and transfer them to a colander. Sprinkle with salt and let them stand for 30 minutes. Rinse, drain well, and pat dry. In a bowl, combine the black olives, green olives, and capers. Cover with warm water and let them plump for 20 minutes. Drain well. In a saucepan of boiling water, blanch the celery for 1 to 2 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and pat dry. In a large skillet set over moderately high heat, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil until hot. Add the eggplant in small batches and cook it, stirring occasionally and adding 3 to 4 tablespoons of water to prevent sticking, until just tender and golden brown. Transfer the fried eggplant to a bowl and, adding oil and water as needed, fry the remaining eggplant. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat until hot over moderate heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, just until tender. Add the tomato sauce, 2 cups of water, the reserved eggplant, olives, capers, celery, and salt and pepper. Simmer the mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and vinegar, stirring until dissolved. Add the sugar mixture to the eggplant mixture and stir to combine. Transfer the caponatina to a bowl, let it cool to room temperature, and chill it, covered, for 1 to 2 days to allow the flavors to blend.

EGGPLANT CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the eggplant and garlic on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Halve the eggplants and scrape the flesh into a bowl; discard the peel.
• Squeeze the softened garlic cloves into the bowl. Stir in the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Spread on grilled bread and serve.

EGGPLANT CAPONATA CROSTINI

Steps:

• In a 5-quart Dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, raisins, pine nuts, garlic, and red-pepper flakes; cook stirring occasionally, until onion has softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, cocoa powder, and sugar; cook, stirring, until tomato paste is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggplant, vinegar, and 1/3 cup water.
• Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender and mixture is thick, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and more sugar (up to 1 tablespoon), as desired.
• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides bread with olive oil. Grill, turning once, until toasted and grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side.
• Top grilled bread with caponata; garnish with basil leaves. Caponata can be refrigerated up to 5 days in an airtight container; let cool completely before storing.

WHOLE WHEAT FOCACCIA WITH PEPPERS AND EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Make the sponge. Combine yeast and water in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and stir to dissolve. Whisk in flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof in a warm place until bubbly and doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
• Make the dough. If using a stand mixer, whisk together yeast and the water in a small bowl and let stand until creamy, a few minutes. Add to sponge in the mixer bowl, along with olive oil. Add flours and salt and mix in with the paddle attachment for 1 to 2 minutes, until the ingredients are amalgamated. Change to the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should come together and slap against the sides of the bowl. It will be slightly tacky. To make the dough by hand, combine yeast and water as directed and whisk into sponge along with olive oil. Whisk in all-purpose flour. Add salt and remaining flour, one cup at a time, folding it in with a spatula or a wooden spoon. When you can scrape out the dough, add flour to the work surface, put the dough on top and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and velvety. Return to bowl (oil the bowl lightly with olive oil first).
• Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Shape the focaccia. Coat a 12-x 17-inch sheet pan (sides and bottom) with olive oil. Line with parchment and flip the parchment over so exposed side is oiled. Turn dough onto the baking sheet. Oil or moisten your hands and press out dough until it just about covers the bottom of the pan. Dough may be sticky. Cover with a towel and allow it to relax for 10 minutes, then continue to press it out until it reaches the edges of the pan. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the dough is full of air bubbles.
• While the shaped focaccia is proofing, roast eggplant and prepare peppers. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil. On the foil, toss eggplant with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and salt to taste. Arrange in a single layer and place in the hot oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and, taking care not to burn yourself, fold foil over, then crimp the edges so eggplant steams inside the foil. Keep oven on and place a baking stone in it if using one.
• Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes, and add garlic, peppers, and chile pepper if using. Add salt to taste and cook, stirring often, until peppers have softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato and marjoram and cook, stirring, for another 5 to 10 minutes, until peppers are soft and tomato has cooked down. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from the heat.
• With lightly oiled fingertips or with your knuckles, dimple dough, pressing down hard so you leave indentations. Spread peppers over the dough and arrange the eggplant slices here and there. Drizzle on the final tablespoon of oil. Place pan in oven on baking stone. Spray oven 3 times with water during the first 10 minutes of baking, and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until edges are crisp and the top is golden. If you wish, remove focaccia from the pan and bake directly on the stone during the last 10 minutes. Remove from oven, remove from pan at once and cool on a rack. If you want a softer focaccia, cover with a towel when you remove it from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle slivered or torn fresh basil leaves over the top before serving.

CROSTINI ALLA NORMA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the baguette slices on a sheet pan, brush the tops with olive oil, then bake until lightly toasted, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a board or platter and set aside.
• Add the eggplant, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the sheet pan. Toss well and roast, tossing occasionally, until very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
• When the eggplant is done, in a large (12-inch) skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low. Add the onion and cook, tossing occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, red-pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook just until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the cooked eggplant, tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil and the red wine vinegar, and continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have completely fallen apart and the mixture has thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the mixture onto the baguette slices, top with the remaining basil and the ricotta salata, and serve warm or at room temperature.

TOMATO AND OLIVADA CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Arrange bread slices in one layer on 2 baking sheets and sprinkle half with Parmesan. Toast slices in upper and lower thirds of oven until crisp and golden, 8 to 12 minutes, and cool. Crostini may be made 2 weeks ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
• In a colander or sieve drain tomatoes well, pressing gently on solids to squeeze out as much liquid as possible, and blot with paper towels. Chop tomatoes fine. In a bowl stir together tomatoes, oil, garlic paste, parsley, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Put a heaping teaspoon tomato mixture on each Parmesan crostino and top with 1/4 teaspoon olive paste. Spread each plain crostino with 1/2 teaspoon olive paste. Spread each plain crostino with 1/2 teaspoon olive paste and top with a heaping 1/2 teaspoon tomato mixture.
• Garnish crostini with parsley leaves.