Grilled Cheese With Eggplant And Ricotta Recipes

GRILLED CHEESE WITH EGGPLANT AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Slice Italian bread info 8 thick slices. Slice each tomato into 4 slices.
• Remove some of the skin from the eggplant, leaving the rest of the skin on for a striped look. Slice the eggplant into eight 1/2-inch rounds.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season eggplant with salt and pepper; cook until soft, about 5 minutes per side. Watch that it does not burn. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Spread ricotta over 4 slices of bread. Top each with 2 eggplant slices and 2 tomato slices. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper. Tear 2 basil leaves over each sandwich. Add 4 slices of fontina cheese. Spread butter over the remaining slices of bread and place over the cheese, buttered sides up.
• Melt remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sandwiches to the skillet with the dry side down. Cover with a piece of foil and place a heavy pan on top. Toast sandwiches for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip over and cover again. Cook until cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes more.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH FRESH RICOTTA AND GRILLED TOMATO-BASIL RELISH

Steps:

• Heat your grill to high.
• Place the tomatoes in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place tomatoes on the grill and grill until charred on all sides, and just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop.
• Put the chopped tomatoes in a bowl, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, onion, vinegar and basil and gently mix until combined. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Can be made 4 hours in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• Brush eggplant slices on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the slices on the grill and grill until golden brown and slighty charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn over and continue grilling until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stir together the ricotta and parsley in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Place the grilled eggplant on a large platter and top each slice with a heaping tablespoon of the ricotta and a heaping tablespoon of the tomato relish.

GRILLED EGGPLANT AND RICOTTA CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat grill or broiler.
• Brush each eggplant slice generously with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt.
• Place the slices on the preheated grill. Cook on both sides until the eggplant is soft and pliable and has a nice char. Remove from grill and let cool. When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, coarsely chop and reserve in a large mixing bowl. Add the ricotta, vinegar, oregano, Parmigiano and crushed red pepper and stir to combine. Season with salt and reserve.
• While the grill is still hot, grill the slices of bread on each side. When the bread comes off the grill rub each piece with a raw garlic clove and brush lightly with olive oil.
• Top each piece of bread with the grilled eggplant mixture.

GRILLED BABY EGGPLANTS WITH FRESH RICOTTA AND FARM STAND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and parsley in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature while you prepare the eggplant or for up to 2 hours.
• Combine the ricotta and lemon zest in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the eggplant or for up to 2 hours.
• Heat a grill to high or a grill pan over high heat.
• Brush the eggplant on both sides with the canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant, cut-side down, until golden brown and caramelized, about 4 minutes. Flip the eggplant and grill until the bottom is golden brown and the eggplant is tender, about 3 minutes more.
• Transfer the eggplant to a platter, cut-side up, and top each half with a large dollop of the ricotta. Spoon the tomatoes over the top and serve.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH RICOTTA AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Heat the grill to high.
• Brush the eggplant slices with some of the oil.
• Grill the eggplant slices on both sides until brown, then place them in the bottom of a lightly greased, small shallow baking pan that will fit under the grill, and set aside.
• Over a medium heat, add the rest of the oil to a small sauté pan (preferably non-stick), add the cherry tomatoes and garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften.
• While still stirring, add the capers and leave the pan over the heat for an additional minute.
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• Cover the eggplant slices with the tomato, garlic and capers, season to taste and spoon the ricotta over the tomatoes. (The amount of ricotta included in the ingredients may not completely cover the tomatoes; if you want to cover the tomatoes, use more ricotta.).
• Place the baking pan under the grill until the ricotta starts to bubble.
• Scatter the basil leaves over the top and serve.