Indian Summer Grilled Eggplant Gratin

There are 2 weeks left of the season at my local farmer's market until next June.

Boo hoo.

There are tons of apples and pumpkins and mums, telling us that fall is here and summer is gone, even though the weather is still nice and warm.

I was able to find some cheap red peppers this week and the last of the eggplants.

So I bought 3 eggplants and made a gratin.

I grilled the eggplant slices on the BBQ after being tossed w/ olive oil and plenty of kosher salt.

When the slices were cool enough to handle, I layered them in a casserole dish with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and basil, and a layer of halved cherry tomatoes.

In between layers, I spread 1 cup of ricotta cheese mixed with 1 egg and all the herbs in my garden (almost gone for the season), including lovely chopped mint.
I sprinkled about 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the ricotta layer.



Then the top layer of sliced grilled eggplant and another topping of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.

Drizzle w/ olive oil and bake at 375F for 40 minutes. Wait about 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Served with a big pan of sausage and peppers. This is the best of Indian summer food.



Goodbye beautiful summer produce, see you next year!