Balsamic Glazed Eggplant and Tomato Appetizer

There are moments when this Southern girl feels a bit exhausted by living in the city--particularly in the hot summer months when I leave the metro completed drenched in sweat. But then, there are the little things that make it all worth it. Every spring, for example, the farmer's market down the street from my house reopens, and every Thursday afternoon, on my walk home from work, I have my pick of the freshest fruits and vegetables. It is a foodies paradise.

Today's Purchases 

 (This might be the most fragrant basil I have ever purchased)

Tonight, I decided to get a little fancy with my salad, since I was just heating up some boring chicken leftovers from the night before. This salad was inspired by an appetizer I recently ordered at an Italian restaurant and seemed pretty easy to recreate. While all of the ingredients I used were incredibly fresh, the key ingredient is the tomato, so be sure take advantage of them while they are still in season!

Here is what you will need:

Step 1: Heat the grill on medium high with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices.

 

 Step 2: Sprinkle with kosher salt and place on hot grill.

 Step 3: While the eggplant begins to cook, mix 1 tablespoon of olive oil with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

Step 4. When the eggplant appears a bit translucent, spoon balsamic mixture over the eggplant.

Step 5. The eggplant will begin to sizzle, so watch out! Flip the eggplant over and spoon any excess vinegar in the pan over the pieces. (I moved the eggplant all over the grill to make sure most of the vinegar was absorbed.)

Step 6: Turn the heat down and let the eggplant continue to sizzle. Use this opportunity to cut the tomatoes and mozzarella.

 

Step 7: Begin to stack the salad. One piece of tomato, one piece of mozzarella, a couple of leaves of basil, and one slice of eggplant (do this twice).

Step 8: This is where I decided to get fancy. I pulled out my balsamic glaze from Harris Teeter and sprinkled it all over.

Step 9: Drizzle some olive oil over the plate as well and enjoy!!

Note: For each salad, you will need:

3 slices of tomato

2 slices of eggplant

2 slices of mozzarella

4 small basil leaves

List of Ingredients for 4 servings:

3 tablespoons of olive oil for grill

1 tablespoon of olive oil for glaze

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

kosher salt

8 slices of eggplant (1 medium eggplant)

12 slices of tomato (approximately 3 tomatoes)

8 slices of mozzarella (1 large ball of mozzarella)

16 small basil leaves

Balsamic Glaze

Olive Oil to drizzle