Ingredients
6 cloves garlic
2 heirloom tomatoes, seeded and thinly sliced
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 eggplant, roughly diced
9 endives
2 sprigs rosemary de-stemmed and finely chopped
1 cup of any local cheese, grated or crumbled, divided
Additional rosemary for garnish if desired
Preparation
Place garlic in a food processor and puree. Place the tomatoes in a bowl with the lemon juice, stirring to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet and add the eggplant, salt and pepper. Cook on high heat, stirring frequently, until edges are golden brown. Remove to a paper towel and cool slightly.
While eggplant cools, place endives in a large bowl and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Add rosemary and toss to coat. Cut endives in half and place cut-side-up on a baking sheet and broil for 3 minutes or until edges are browned. Set aside.
Place cooled eggplant into the food processor with the garlic and add half of the cheese. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely pureed.
Spread the eggplant puree into each endive and sprinkle each with equal amounts of the remaining cheese and top with a few ribbons of tomato. Arrange on a serving platter and serve.
Serves 6 as an appetizer or side dish
