Once again I spent my Saturday morning doing what I love, seeking treasure at my local Farmers Market. New this week, beautiful silky smooth purple eggplants. I wasn’t even sure how I was going to cook it but I knew I had to have one! So when I came up with Charred Tomato & Eggplant Bruschetta, it was a perfect match!
Beside the eggplant I came home with a lovely head of lettuce, a few zucchini’s to ‘zoodle’, Rainier cherries, raw honey, and raw milk. And I know what you’re thinking, ‘But you said you were going dairy-free’. Why yes I did. But after talking with Pam from Tourmaline Farms she informed me that a number of dairy issues stem from the feed the cows are fed and farming principles behind the process of producing the milk. At Tourmaline Farms their cows graze on organic alfalfa and kale for optimal nutrition. And she informed me that many people who have dairy issues seem to have intestinal issues with homogenized milk and not raw milk. I spent a fair amount of time with her learning about the benefits of drinking raw milk. Of course there are the issues of e coli and other illnesses derived from drinking raw milk. Pam informed me to know your source, know their practices, trust their practices and this in turn allows you to trust the source.
So I may not have you convinced to try raw milk, but you definitely should try this Charred Tomato and Eggplant Bruschetta recipe. I decided to bake the tomatoes, eggplant and garlic in a very hot oven, 500 degrees! This allowed the veggies to cook with a nice charred edge.
Once the tomatoes and Eggplant have charred, remove them from the oven, along with the garlic and chop into small pieces, about a 1/2 inch size. This will become the base for the bruschetta. You may want to double this recipe; I definitely wish I had because we ate it all in a matter of a few minutes! Seriously, so delicious!
For the final touches just add in some high quality extra virgin olive oil, chopped basil, chopped black olives, and a little salt and pepper. Then you are ready to sit down with a glass of wine, gluten-free crackers, and this yummy charred tomato & eggplant bruschetta. But I will warn you if you are sharing, you may fight over the last bite!
Charred Tomato & Eggplant Bruschetta
Print recipe
| Serves | 2-3 |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 45 minutes |
| Total time | 1 hour |
| Dietary | Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Appetizer |
Ingredients
- 1 Medium eggplant
- 4 Large Roma tomatoes
- 1 garlic head
- 1/3 cup black olives (diced)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (for brushing eggplant)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (for bruschetta)
- 1/2 Medium lemon (freshly squeezed juice)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil (chopped)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| Preheat oven to 500 degrees. | |
| Step 2 | |
 Slice tomato and eggplant in 1/2 inch thick slices. Place slices on a cookie sheet. Brush 1/4 cup olive oil evenly over eggplant. Remove individual garlic cloves and the papery outer covering and wrap garlic cloves in aluminum foil. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Place cookie sheet of tomato and eggplant in oven along with foil wrapped garlic. Bake for 45 minutes or until edges start to char. | |
| Step 4 | |
 Remove tray and foiled garlic from oven. Chop charred tomato, eggplant and garlic into 1/2 inch chunks. Place in a medium size bowl. | |
| Step 5 | |
| Dice black olives and add to bowl. Chop basil and add to bowl. | |
| Step 6 | |
| Slice lemon in half and squeeze juice into bowl. | |
| Step 7 | |
 Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss to completely coat. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy over crackers or baguettes. | |
