“Love is in the Heir(loom)”- Roasted Veggie and Heirloom Tomato Napoleon with Ricotta-Feta Pesto and Balsamic Reduction
Tonight at work, my fellow Sous Chef’s and I got a chance tp create some of our own dishes for our class participants. I searched through the kitchen to get inspired and came across some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, eggplant and red peppers. The colors were so beautiful together, I couldn’t resist putting them together in a delish dish.
What You Need:
For the Veggies:
2 Heirloom Tomatoes (1/4” half-moon slices)
1 Large Eggplant (1/4” half-moon slices)
2 Roasted Red Peppers (triangular shaped cuts)
For the Cheese Pesto:
1/2 Cup Prepared Pesto
1 Cup Ricotta
1/2 Cup Feta
Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese (to taste)
1/4 Cup Chopped Flat-Leaf Parsley
Salt/Pepper to taste
Balsamic Reduction
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
1. Spread the eggplant onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake the eggplant until tender and set aside to cool.
2. To roast the red pepper, place the pepper on an open flame on your stove. Rotate the pepper every so often to evenly char the outside of the pepper. Once the entire pepper has roasted, place the peppers in a bowl and wrap in plastic wrap (this will help in removing the charred layer of pepper). After about 5-10 minutes, slice the pepper on one side, remove the seeds and lay the pepper so that it is flat. Use your knife to scrape off the charred parts of the pepper. Then, cut into triangular shapes, season with salt/pepper and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the cheeses, pesto, parsley and salt/pepper to taste. Then, scoop mixture into a pastry bag or ziplock (with corner cut to create a pastry bag).
4. Begin to build your stacks, layer a slice of tomato, a squeeze of pesto mixture, pepper, pesto, eggplant, pesto, pepper and pesto on top. Create as many stacks as needed. Then, just before serving, drizzle balsamic reduction and high-quality olive oil on top of each stack. Garnish with chopped parsley or basil.
1 year ago