Mediterranean Roasted Eggplant with Blistered Tomatoes and Roasted Garlic

These roasted eggplant halves are a vegetarian entree․ Slits made in the eggplant allow the olive oil and cooked garlic to penetrate the roasted eggplant and cherry tomatoes‚ yellow and red‚ for added color and flavor․ People enjoy the charred parts of the eggplant․

I prefer a shallow ceramic baking dish if you have one‚ but a metal baking sheet can be used instead․ I use a chef's knife to cut about 1 inch crosswise through the squash but not all the way through the skin and then coat the cuts with oil․ Dry skin and the top of the squash will remain dry after baking‚ and the stem can be left on․ I like the appearance of the stem․ A wider dish makes it easier to serve both sides of the squash at the table․

The first 20 minutes are for cooking the tomatoes․ I look for browned edges and dark golden interiors in the tomatoes and popping or blistering of tomatoes as ways to tell when the dish is ready when I add the topping․ Some whole tomatoes are partially split․ Crushing garlic before adding it to the oil helps keep the garlic from burning in the oven․

Let zucchini stand for 5 minutes before adding parsley․ Leave cuts in the tomato juice for 5 minutes to absorb flavor․ Sprinkle sea salt flakes lightly over zucchini if you want some areas to be saltier․ I cook zucchini this way because I enjoy its tender inside and charred skin․