I can see the last fleeting glimpses of summer as it rushes out the door.
With the weather turning nippy this week it is obvious that Father Fall is about to firmly make his presence known.
But I'm no quite ready to let go of summer - just yet. Now I know that no one needs yet another recipe for vegetable stacks.
Unless of course they're outstanding.
And go figure that would take a refrigerator full of herbs and veggies that I was determined would not rot to depths of Hades to bring about these lovelies.
And yet when I think about it, it makes perfect sense - it took a whole bunch of flavors to work in palimpsest to bring about what can only be called a definitive celebration of vegetable stacks. Usually, I try and stay away from words such as best and bestest and definitive.
But sometimes, dearies, it just needs to get said.
I urge you to deviate from the world of cheesy & bland stacks that seem to be all over our cyber world and take a leap with me, an act of faith if you will, to allow yourself the sheer pleasure of the very best, summery vegetable stacks you'll ever put in your mouth, even if it is at the brink of fall.
Ask my 6 year old. And can anyone be harsher critic?
I think not.
Gather the ingredients:
Roasted Eggplant: 1 large eggplant, 2 tbs olive oil, 1/2 tbs salt,
Roasted peppers: 1 large red pepper, 1 large orange or yellow pepper
Tomato Vinaigrette: 2 cups sweet & ripe tomatoes, diced, 1 tbs tomato paste, 1/2 tbs brown sugar, 2 tbs sherry vinegar, 2 tbs Walnut or Pistachio oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground chipotle chiles or hot sauce
Herb-Nut Pesto: 1 cup fresh parley leaves, 1 cup baby spinach leaves, 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, 1 clove garlic, juice of 1 lime, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 oz walnuts or shelled pistachios (depending on the oil used above), 2 tbs water
To serve: 6 oz fresh semi-soft Goat Cheese & fresh basil leaves
Pre-heat oven at 400 deg F
Eggplant: Slice in 12 qty, 1/2" thick slices.
Arrange the eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet or pan. Measure the olive oil in a bowl. Using a pastry brush, liberally apply the olive oil on the eggplant. Sprinkle with half the qty of salt. Flip the slices over and repeat.
Roast in the hot oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and apply some more olive oil on the surface of the eggplant. Flip over and repeat.
Return the sheet to the oven and roast for about another 10 minutes or until the eggplant slices are soft and a golden brown. Set aside to cool completely.
Roasted Red Peppers: Halve the pepper, remove the woody top, seeds and membranes. Place the peppers face down. Roast for about 25-30 minutes or until the skin is blistered.
Remove the peppers from the hot oven and immediately place in a zip-loc bag and seal shut or to a mixing bowl with a plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to steam for about 30 minutes. Once cool, peel the peppers and cut into 1/2" wide strips. Refrigerate till needed.
Tomato Vinaigrette: Roughly dice tomatoes. In a blender or food processor capable of making fine pastes (like a Magic Bullet) add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sherry vinegar, ground chipotle chiles or hot sauce, brown sugar, walnut or pistachio oil (depending on the nut you are using in the pesto) and salt. Puree till smooth. Sieve to remove any lumps. Discard the residue in the sieve. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Chill in the refrigerator till ready to use. Rinse out the bowl of the blender or food processor and reuse for the herb-nut pesto.
Herb-Nut Pesto: To the bowl of the food processor or blender, add the fresh parley leaves, baby spinach leaves, fresh basil leaves, garlic, lime juice, salt, walnuts or shelled pistachios (depending on the oil used above) & 2 tbs water.
Blend to a smooth and creamy paste. You may need to stir the mixture with a spoon several times to get it to a paste and break down all the ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings. Chill in the refrigerator till ready to use.
Begin assembling the stacks 15 minutes before serving:
Divide all the ingredients in 6 portions. Gather around you, tomato-vinaigrette, roasted eggplant, roasted pepper strips, goat cheese, herb-nut pesto and basil leaves for garnish.
You can either choose to brush the Vinaigrette on the base or you can create a puddle. Cook's Note: It's delicious to lap up so we preferred to puddle the vinaigrette.
For each stack (in individual serving plates):
Place 1 eggplant slice in the vinaigrette. Top with roasted peppers alternating red and orange or yellow in a criss-cross fashion. Crumble the goat cheese over the peppers. Place a roasted eggplant slice over the stack. Make a 'X' with a slice each of red and yellow roasted pepper. Crumble some more goat cheese. Top with a dollop of the herb-nut pesto.
Repeat the process to assemble the remaining stacks.
You won't be abe to get enough of this!
The delicious flavor of roasted eggplant pairs beautifully with the taste of sweet peppers. The distinctive flavor of goat cheese adds just the right touch of that creamy occasional bite. The tomato vinaigrette with its sweet, tangy and cool flavors envelopes the dish as a whole and the creamy herb-pesto adding a refreshing , summery zing to it all.
As you can see, these make an absolutely beautiful presentation and is a perfect side dish for company or serve these with a salad or a pasta to make a meal just for you!
Recipe for
Roasted Eggplant Stacks, Tomato-Vinaigrette, Herb-Nut Pesto
Preparation time: 1 hour
Assembly time: 15 minutes
Makes 6 stacks
Shopping list
Roasted Eggplant:
1 large eggplant
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tbs salt
Roasted peppers:
1 large red pepper
1 large orange or yellow pepper
Tomato Vinaigrette:
2 cups sweet & ripe tomatoes, diced
1 tbs tomato paste
1/2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs sherry vinegar
2 tbs Walnut or Pistachio oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground chipotle chiles or hot sauce
Herb-Nut Pesto
1 cup fresh parley leaves
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp salt
2 oz walnuts or shelled pistachios (depending on the oil used above)
2 tbs water
To serve:
6 oz fresh semi-soft Goat Cheese
fresh basil leaves
Method:
Pre-heat oven at 400 deg FEggplant: Slice in 12 qty, 1/2" thick slices.
Arrange the eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet or pan. Measure the olive oil in a bowl. Using a pastry brush, liberally apply the olive oil on the eggplant. Sprinkle with half the qty of salt. Flip the slices over and repeat.
Roast in the hot oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and apply some more olive oil on the surface of the eggplant. Flip over and repeat.
Return the sheet to the oven and roast for about another 10 minutes or until the eggplant slices are soft and a golden brown. Set aside to cool completely.
Roasted Red Peppers: Halve the pepper, remove the woody top, seeds and membranes. Place the peppers face down. Roast for about 25-30 minutes or until the skin is blistered.
Remove the peppers from the hot oven and immediately place in a zip-loc bag and seal shut or to a mixing bowl with a plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to steam for about 30 minutes. Once cool, peel the peppers and cut into 1/2" wide strips. Refrigerate till needed.
Tomato Vinaigrette: Roughly dice tomatoes. In a blender or food processor capable of making fine pastes (like a Magic Bullet) add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sherry vinegar, ground chipotle chiles or hot sauce, brown sugar, walnut or pistachio oil (depending on the nut you are using in the pesto) and salt. Puree till smooth. Sieve to remove any lumps. Discard the residue in the sieve. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Chill in the refrigerator till ready to use. Rinse out the bowl of the blender or food processor and reuse for the herb-nut pesto.
Herb-Nut Pesto: To the bowl of the food processor or blender, add the fresh parley leaves, baby spinach leaves, fresh basil leaves, garlic, lime juice, salt, walnuts or shelled pistachios (depending on the oil used above) & 2 tbs water.
Blend to a smooth and creamy paste. You may need to stir the mixture with a spoon several times to get it to a paste and break down all the ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings. Chill in the refrigerator till ready to use.
Begin assembling the stacks 15 minutes before serving:
Divide all the ingredients in 6 portions. Gather around you, tomato-vinaigrette, roasted eggplant, roasted pepper strips, goat cheese, herb-nut pesto and basil leaves for garnish.
You can either choose to brush the Vinaigrette on the base or you can create a puddle. Cook's Note: It's delicious to lap up so we preferred to puddle the vinaigrette.
For each stack (in individual serving plates):
Place 1 eggplant slice in the vinaigrette. Top with roasted peppers alternating red and orange or yellow in a criss-cross fashion. Crumble the goat cheese over the peppers. Place a roasted eggplant slice over the stack. Make a 'X' with a slice each of red and yellow roasted pepper. Crumble some more goat cheese. Top with a dollop of the herb-nut pesto.
Repeat the process to assemble the remaining stacks.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
