
Eggplant Scamorza Appetizer
Eggplant recipes are common across the southern half of the Italian peninsula. This is due to the perfect Mediterranean climate that gives the vegetables a rich, flavorful taste and a fullness unmatched by most other places in the world. Italians integrate eggplant into many of their summertime and fall recipes since the vegetables are plentiful and pair well with a number of other ingredients. Today’s recipe couldn’t be more Mediterranean if it tried to be! Our recipe is for baked eggplant with a cherry tomato and cheese finish.
What You’ll Need
- 1 large, ripe eggplant
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 block of smoked Scamorza cheese
- 2 ounces pitted black olives
- 1 ounce of capers
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 large pinch of dried Oregano
What You’ll Do
- Wash and dry your fresh eggplant
- Cut your eggplant into slices about ¾ inch thick
- Place the eggplant slices on a drip pan lined with parchment paper
- Cut your parchment paper in a grid design under your eggplant slices
- Put oil, salt, and pepper to taste on your eggplant
- Place in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes
- Wash and dry your tomatoes
- Cut each tomato in half
- Cut your smoked cheese into thin slices about ¼ inch thick each
- Cut each of your capers roughly in half
- Remove your eggplant slices from the oven and place one layer of Scamorza cheese on top of each eggplant slice
- Add 2-4 tomato halves atop the Scamorza
- Cut your pitted olives into thin slices and place them according to your preference on your eggplant
- Throw your capers to the top, using as many as you care to
- Season again with olive oil, salt and pepper
- Put your eggplant slices back in the oven at 375 degrees
- Allow to cook for 30 minutes
- Remove your dish from the oven and season again to your taste. Lastly, add the dried oregano to the top of your slices.
- Serve hot as a delicious appetizer for a late evening meal!
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