Smothered Summer Soufico

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large eggplants, cut into 1/4” rounds

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4” rounds

Salt

1 large white onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, chopped

2 large firm tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

4-5 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves

Black pepper to taste

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Place eggplant and zucchini in a large colander and salt. Let drain for 1+ hour. Wipe before using, but don’t rinse.

  2. Place onion, garlic, and tomatoes in a blender or food processor and pulse to combine into a course sauce. Stir in 1/4 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

  3. Place some of the tomato sauce in a medium casserole dish, and add a layer of half of the eggplant rounds. Add more sauce, sprinkle with half of the oregano, and layer with zucchini rounds. Add more sauce, and the rest of the oregano, and top with another layer of eggplant rounds. Press down so that vegetables are layered compactly. Top with remaining sauce, and drizzle with remaining olive oil.

  4. Cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, and continue to bake until all of the vegetables are tender and coked through, about 20-40 minutes.

Tips

  • You can also add some layers of sliced potatoes to this dish to make it a bit more hearty.

  • The bake time will be dependent on your cookware, and how shallow or deep your casserole dish is.

Ben Mastracco