This recipe uses eggplant as the “boat,” stuffed with a mix of colorful vegetables, covered with zucchini and sitting in a bit of liquid.

Ingredients:

  • 4 small or 2 large globe eggplants
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/2 celery root, trimmed and chopped(if not available, a few stalks of celery will suffice)
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 shucked ear of corn
  • 1 handful of fresh basil
  • 1 green zucchini
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
  2. Wash all ingredients. Trim celery root. Chop onion, tomatoes, garlic and red pepper finely and shuck ear of corn. Cut zucchini into long strips.
  3. Score eggplants and place on parchment paper lined tray in oven. Cook eggplants until soft inside, approximately 45 minutes.
  4. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to sauce pan over medium heat and cook onions until translucent. Add celery root and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Then add tomatoes, corn and garlic. It should become more liquidy. If not, add a bit of water so that it doesn’t dry out. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add freshly torn basil and add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. While the vegetables are cooking on the stove top, the eggplant will probably be finished. Remove from oven and let cool. Put the zucchini strips on the same tray and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Cook for about 7 minutes until soft and lighter in color but not crispy.
  6. Cut eggplant along top (though leave ends in tact) and squeeze ends together to create a roundish opening in middle. Add tomato mixture inside without liquid. Scoop tomato liquid out onto individual plates. Place eggplant with tomatoes on top. Then, take strips of zucchini and place on top of eggplant to cover. Drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil on top and serve.

Reprinted with permission from Neesh Noosh.