Summer Veggie Gratin

Broken Dishwasher
 
I’ve been doing some short cut cooking of late because my dishwasher is under repair. My dishwasher will be out of commission for at least three more weeks! Pa Lloyd had a right rotator cuff repaired 3 weeks ago. It’s difficult to do dishes when your right arm is in a sling.

Our farmer’s market is just brimming with fresh produce so it's a good time to eat lots of vegetables! My mother always grew egg plant. She breaded the slices and then fried them, but eggplant doesn’t have a whole lot of taste. I recently tried the recipe I am sharing with you today and will make it again. Anything with a good layer of cheese is good, right?
 
Summer Veggie Gratin:
1 large eggplant, cut in 1/2 inch thick slices
3 large tomatoes, cut in 1/2 inch slices
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
optional: fresh sage and rosemary, chopped
 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and move oven rack to the middle slot. Grease a shallow 3 qt. baking dish, (I use a 9x13 inch pan). In a large bowl, combine garlic with olive oil, whisk in salt and pepper. Using your hands, gently toss eggplant and tomatoes in oil to coat. Place eggplant and tomato slices into baking dish; it's fine if slices overlap. Spoon remaining olive oil and garlic over top, scatter fresh herbs over all, if using. Cover with foil and bake about 1 hour or until vegetables are soft. I would remove the foil after 1/2 hour so the liquid will cook off - I had more liquid than I wanted. Then sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake 10-12 minutes longer until cheese is melted and bubbly!  Stay cool and have a good week!