Grilled Eggplant And Ricotta Crostini Recipes

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.