A veggie burger, so to speak, made from grilled aubergine slices, tomatoes and onions marinated in oil and vinegar, fresh mozzarella and basil.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
I have a confession to make. I don’t particularly like those big ball eggplants.
So last week, Hank and I experimented with ball eggplant, trying to see what we could really enjoy given the challenges of this ingredient. We’ve had a few in-the-trash-it-goes experiments and a few hits too.
This burger or sandwich with grilled eggplant is one of those hits. I made it again today for my parents and even my dad liked it. He had two. And he doesn’t like eggplant!
The only reason he stopped by for lunch when he heard what I was serving was because Mom was coming and he didn’t want to stay home alone.
Here’s the problem with ball eggplants. They suck up enormous amounts of oil when you try to fry them.
Salting them helps a little, but the eggplants often still end up in a mushy mess. However, grilling or frying the eggplant fixes this, and the large diameter of a ball eggplant makes for perfect rounds for a burger.
Grilled eggplant sandwich
This recipe calls for the use of a grill, but you might as well place the eggplant slices on a frying pan (rub pan with some vegetable oil first) and grill the slices for a few minutes on each side.
ingredients
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1 large ball eggplant (about 1 pound), sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices
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Salt
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8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch slices
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1 large beefsteak tomato
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1 medium red onion
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10-12 fresh basil leaves
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About 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
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2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
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2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
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6 small burger buns
method
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Salted Eggplant Rounds:
Line a large tray with paper towels. Place the eggplant rounds on the tray in a single layer. Salt generously on both sides. Let it rest while you prepare the other ingredients.
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Spread the tomato and onion slices in a casserole dish with vinegar and olive oil:
Cut the tomato into 1/4 inch thick slices. Cut the red onion into 1/8 inch slices.
Pour the two vinegars and a teaspoon of olive oil into a shallow dish, such as a bowl. B. a casserole dish.
Sprinkle with some salt and stir with a fork.
Place the onions and tomatoes in the container and turn to brush with the dressing.
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Prepare your grill for high, direct heat:
Make sure the grates are clean and close the lid.
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Grill the Eggplant Rounds:
Once the eggplant slices have sat for at least 15 minutes, pat them dry with more paper towels.
Use a pastry brush to coat them with olive oil on both sides.
Place the slices on the grill and grill with the lid closed for about 3-4 minutes per side until nicely browned. Remove from the grill. Lightly toast the burger buns on the grill for about 30 seconds to a minute, just enough to get lightly toasted.
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Assemble sandwiches:
To build the sandwich, have your burger buns ready. Place two or three rounds of eggplant slices on the bottom bun. Then add a tomato slice and some red onion. Add a few slices of fresh mozzarella and garnish with some basil leaves.
