| Preheat oven to 350°. Wash peppers and eggplant.
Core the peppers, remove seeds and membrane, chop into one inch pieces.
Peel eggplant, cut off and discard a one inch slice from the top and bottom,
then slice eggplant into one inch rounds and chop each slice into one inch
squares. It is important to cut the eggplant into chunks, thin slices will
get mushy during roasting. Place pepper and eggplant pieces on baking sheet,
drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Place on the center rack in the
oven, turning every fifteen minutes or so for even roasting. Its okay if
the pieces stick a bit, as this means they are browning, which adds good
flavor to the finished vegetables. Cook for 1 to 1 1 /2 hours, until everything
is soft, fragrant, and evenly cooked. Remove from the oven and cool for
a few minutes on the baking sheet. While the mixture is cooling, rehydrate
BASIL, TURKISH
OREGANO, THYME and GARLIC
(if using dried) in 1 TB water for 5 minutes. In a large serving bowl, combine
eggplant-pepper mix with BASIL,
TURKISH OREGANO, THYME
and salt. Stir to coat. Wash tomatoes and remove the top 1 /2 " plus any
white core you can see. Chop into bite-sized pieces. Shred the cheese on
a cheese grater, which is very quick and easy, plus tastier and less expensive
than buying pre-grated cheese. Add tomatoes and shredded cheese to the serving
bowl. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, toss to combine. Sprinkle with freshly
ground BLACK PEPPER
as desired. Serve warm surrounded by french bread rounds brushed with olive
oil and lightly toasted. |
