Eggplant and tomato pesto timbale

There are recipes that are undoubtedly classics of Mediterranean gastronomy and this is one of them: aubergine, tomato and mozzarella timbales , culminating with a delicious pesto and accompanied by black olives.

We grill the aubergines and after assembling the timbales we give them a heat stroke to melt the mozzarella and melt it with the tomato. Delicious!

It is a very simple dish to prepare but with an exquisite presentation on the plate, and it can be used to present a first course as well as to accompany a second course or to compose a combined dish. I recommend it to you!

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 mozzarellas
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• black olives
• Basil leaves

For the pesto sauce:

• 1/2 clove of garlic
• 1 bunch of basil
• 30 g of shelled walnuts
• 40 g Parmesan cheese
• 100 ml of olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation

1. Cut the aubergines, tomatoes and mozzarella into slices of similar thickness (if you use a mandolin you will ensure that you make even cuts).
2. Add a generous splash of oil to the Le Creuset rectangular grill , and add the aubergine slices to the skillet. Grill them for 2-3 minutes on each side and splash them.
3. Once golden, put them in a rectangular Le Creuset tray and add the tomato slices on top and season with salt and pepper.
4. Now add the mozzarella to the top of each timbale, and add one more layer of tomato and eggplant slices.
5. When you have the timbales well assembled, bake them at 160 C, for 6-8 minutes.

For the pesto sauce:

1. Add all the ingredients in a pot and blend them with a blender or processor, until you get a consistent and homogeneous sauce.

Dish assembly:

1. Remove the timbales from the oven and add the pesto sauce on top of each one.
2. As a final touch, add chopped black olives and a basil leaf to decorate.

Le Creuset rectangular tray and Le Creuset ceramic plates