CSA Recipe: Char Baked Tomato Zucchini and Eggplant

Ashley sent this one in to us last week. She loosely followed Martha Stewart’s recipe and served over rigatoni and plenty of shredded Romano.

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Barden Onion, peeled and sliced

5 small tomatoes, thinly sliced

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small Barden eggplant, about 6 inches long, thinly sliced crosswise

2 Barden zucchinis, about 5 inches long, thinly sliced lengthwise

2 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

Pour some of the olive oil to cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 in rectangular or 12 inch oval baking dish. Layer in half the onion slices and one third of the tomatoes. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add a layer of eggplant, and sprinkle on more salt. Add another third of the tomatoes, the zucchini, garlic, thyme, and the remaining onions. Top with the remaining tomatoes. Press down on the mixture with your hands. Pour over the remaining olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Bake uncovered for 1.5 hours. after 45 minutes press the mixture down firmly with a spatula. The vegetables should be reduced in height, and should be brownish black and caramelized, almost charred in places. Return to the oven to finish roasting. Let cool for at least 10 minutes, so the mixture can solidify a bit. Cut into squares and serve.