Baby Eggplant

One of my favorite things to do is cook. I love to try new recipes and new foods.

I have found a new food to experiment with. Baby Eggplant. I saw these at the Farmer's Market and thought they were interesting. I had tried eggplant at a restaurant this summer that had been prepared on the grill along with some other veggies and really enjoyed it. So I bought some eggplant and tried grilling it my self, but not very successfully. I either burnt them or they were rather tough.

When I saw the baby ones, I thought maybe they would be easier to cook and that I would have a better outcome. So after I bought them I went to the Internet for some help with recipe ideas. I found tons of them. I settled on one in particular, but adjusted it to my tastes and preferences.

I Love it!! It is a simple recipe and doesn't take alot of time to prep or to cook.
(I don't use exact measurements, just eyeball it. The dry spices I simply sprinkle a light dusting over the top.) This way I can prepare large or small servings.

Ingredients:

Baby Eggplant
Garlic
Olive Oil (aprox. 4-5 tsp)
Black Pepper
Basil
Thyme
Lemon Juice
Tomatoes (2 or 3 medium size)
(I peeled and sliced in chunks)
Parmesan Cheese (shredded)

Preheat Oven to 425

Wash and cut the caps off of the eggplant. Peel, wash and slice the garlic into small slivers (not paper thin, but thin). Cut the eggplant length wise and lay peeling side down in baking pan. Cut small slit in center of each piece of eggplant and place slivers of garlic inside each slit. Lightly cover with black pepper and basil. Drizzle olive oil over the top of eggplant. Bake for 20 min.

Then remove from oven and sprinkle a dusting of thyme over eggplant. Squeeze lemon juice over the top making sure to get all of the eggplant with some of the lemon juice. Add tomatoes. Return to oven for 10 min.

Remove and add a good layer of parmesan on top of the entire dish. Return to oven for an additional 4-5 min, or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!!