Eggplant, potato and pepper casserole

8 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 larges Eggplants, thinly sliced crosswise
1½ tablespoon Olive oil
1 large Onion, chopped
5 larges Garlic cloves, chopped
1 can Italian-style tomatoes 28 oz can
2 larges Spigs of thyme
5 tablespoons Fresh thyme, minced
3 pounds Potatoes, russets, peeled & thinly sliced
3 Green peppers, thinly sliced
Olive oil for frying

Directions

Place eggplant slices on baking sheets. Lightly salt both sides and let stand for 1 hour. pat dry and wipe off salt with paper towels.

Heat 1½ Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, saute until golden, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices and the thyme sprigs, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the mixture is reduced to 2 ½ cups, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon, about 20 minutes. Season with salt & pepper; discard thyme sprigs.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Add oil to a large skillet to a depth of ¼" and heat over med-hi heat. Cook the eggplant in the skillet until golden on both sides, adding more oil as necessary. Drain on paper towels. Add potatoes to the skillet and cook until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Add green peppers to skillet and cook until barely tender, about 5 minutes, drain on paper towels.

Layer ½ the eggplant in a 15X10X2 inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp thyme. Spoon ½ cup of the tomato sauce over and top with ½ of the potatoes. Season with salt & pepper. Cover with all the pepper slices. Repeat the layering and top with 1 Tbsp thyme and ½ cup of the sauce.

Bake uncovered for 40 minutes until veggies are tender, let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

This dish is called Tumbet in Majorca, where fresh vegetables are prized. Majorcans serve this with grilled lamb or fish.

From: Bon Appetit, May 1995, 'The Mediterranean, A Delicious Voyage of Discovery' (Majorca) Typed by: Bob 8-{) Submitted By ROBERT WHITE On 04-23-95

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