For Fresh Tomato Sauce
with Garlic and Oregano |
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1/3 cup/75 ml/2 1/2 fl oz olive oil |
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3
onions, chopped |
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5
garlic cloves, finely chopped |
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3
lb/1.4 kg tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped |
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6
tablespoons/90 ml/3 fl oz tomato purée |
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3-4 tablespoons chopped oregano |
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pinch of sugar |
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salt and pepper |
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4
individual gratin dishes |
1. Heat oven to 375°F/190°C/Gas5. Trim the
eggplant and cut across in sixteen 1/2-inch/1.25-cm rounds. If
the eggplant are small cut them diagonally. Lay slices in single
layer on a tray. Sprinkle them generously with salt on both
sides and leave 20-30 minutes to draw out juices.
2. Rinse eggplant slices, drain in a colander
and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange on oiled baking sheets
and brush top with olive oil. Bake slices until perfect crisp,
turning once, 25-30 minutes. Let cool. Meanwhile, make tomato
sauce.
3. Brush the gratin dishes with olive oil.
Strip leaves from basil and parsley stems and chop the leaves,
reserving 4 basil sprigs for decoration. Beat ricotta and goat
cheeses in a bowl until smooth. Stir in chopped herbs, salt and
pepper and taste for seasoning. Place an eggplant slice in each
gratin dish. Spread about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture on the
eggplant. Top each with a second slice. Repeat with remaining
eggplant rounds and filling to make four-decker stacks.
4. Spoon sauce over stacks and sprinkle with
Parmesan cheese. Bake in oven until very hot and bubbling, 20-25
minutes. Serve at once.
This Recipe of the Month
selection comes from Anne Willan's
Cook It Right (Reader's Digest,
1998). To order your copy please call 1-800-788-6262.
