Meatless Monday: Eggplant Tomato Cheese Casserole

This is another Lidia recipe out of her “Lidia Cooks From The Heart of Italy” cookbook with a little change from me. I added some herbs and changed the cheese to something I had. I liked the addition of oregano and thyme in the topping and chives and garlic chives in the eggplant – you can’t have enough herbs with a little restraint. Out of one large eggplant you can get enough rounds to make eight servings. I made a spaghetti and tomato sauce ‘bed’ for the eggplant. This makes a good presentation for a dinner party. Perfect and tasty and keeps well for later (if you have any left over). Guess the only thing to keep an eye on is the seasonings – taste it and adjust to your taste.
I am sad today. I lost a friend a few days ago to melanoma and she was/is an artist, horsewoman, strong optimist, beautiful person. I will miss her in this world!
Be good to those you care about! AND even those you don’t!

BAKED EGGPLANT WITH FRESH TOMATOES, CHEESE & HERBS

Serves 6-8
Equipment: Pyrex 9″ X 13″ pan

Preheat oven to 400

THE CASSEROLE:

1 medium to large eggplant
1 T + kosher salt
1 lg yellow onion, peeled and sliced in 1/2″ rings
4 large garlic cloves peeled and smashed
1 1/2 lb. fresh red tomatoes, chopped in 1/2″ dice and drained, save the juice
2 T chives & garlic chives, diced
1 C fontina & mozzarella cheese in 1/2″ cubes
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
fresh olive oil

THE TOPPING:

1 C dry bread crumbs (I used whole wheat, white, zucchini and apple-cheddar bread I had left over)
1 1/2 T flat leaf parsley, diced
1 T fresh thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 C Pecorino cheese, grated
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 T olive oil

Cut the top and the bottom off the eggplant and peel stripes off the sides, then cut in 1/2″ discs. Salt well and place in a colander and weight down with a plate and some cans. Let sit to drain the bitter juice out of the eggplant for 20-30 minutes, then wash and pat dry well.
Toss the diced tomato with the chives & garlic chives, cheese, red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp salt.
Oil the pyrex dish with olive oil and layer onion, sprinkle the garlic over, drizzle with some olive oil, layer eggplant, sprinkle the tomato/cheese mixture over and pour the tomato juice over all.
Mix the topping by adding all the ingredients together in a medium bowl and mix very well. You want the olive oil well distributed throughout the mixture.
Distribute topping evenly over casserole and tent with aluminum foil. Place in the oven for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for about 30 minutes or until the topping is browned and crispy. Take out and place on a cookie rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Serve.
This dish keeps well and heats up in a toaster oven or a regular oven really well. Heating in a microwave, not so well. It gets a little mushy.