Cooking with Fresh Vegetables

The unseasonably warm weather we had this spring has given us a bounty of fresh vegetables to enjoy. I started off the fresh vegetable season with a roasted tomato soup with your favorite grilled cheese, we chose sun dried tomato bread with pesto Gouda. It was one of the cooler days so a comforting tomato soup and grilled cheese meal was perfect. Slow roasting the tomatoes brings out a delicious flavor and also gives the perfect consistency to the soup, finished off with a touch of cream makes it perfect for dunking your favorite grilled cheese into.
With all of these delicious vegetables I had to keep cooking! One of my favorite summer vegetables is eggplant, roasted, grilled, or fried it is always delicious. I sliced and breaded my eggplant and baked it instead of frying it to create a slightly healthier version of eggplant Parmesan, topped with fresh mozzarella and a sprig of fresh basil it is comforting and fresh perfect for a summer evening.

Roasted Tomato Bisque
10-12 large plum tomatoes
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 quart vegetable stock
4 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. fresh basil chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and place on a well oiled baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes or until tender and skin begins to peel back. Once cool remove skin from tomatoes.
2. In a dutch oven saute onions and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add roasted tomatoes and cook until well combined.
3. Add vegetable stock and herbs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Puree soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Add cream and salt and pepper and stir until well combined.
4. Serve with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich.











Baked Eggplant Parmesan
1 large eggplant
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Tomato Basil Sauce (home prepared or store bought)
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese (thinly sliced)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh Basil sprigs (for garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Slice eggplant into about 1 in. thick slices. Bread the eggplant by following standard breading procedure of flour, egg, and then breadcrumb. Place breaded eggplant slices onto a slightly oiled baking sheet (you may need to use 2 sheets). Bake eggplant 10 minutes, flip slices over and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
2. In a 9x13 baking spread about 1 cup of sauce on the bottom to coat. Layer eggplant on top in one layer, top with 1/3 Parmesan cheese and another layer of sauce. Continue with this layering until all eggplant is used and end with a layer of sauce. Top with fresh mozzarella cheese to cover the entire top.
3. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned and the sauce begins to bubble.
4. Serve with a fresh sprig of basil and your favorite wine!