Melitzanes me tomata & feta - baked eggplants with tomato sauce and feta



     Eggplants and tomato; tomato and feta!  Add some basil or oregano and this chain reaction can give an explosion of taste in your mouth.
     Slices of eggplant covered with tomato sauce, and topped with feta can easily become a filling summer dish, served either as a first or as a main course.
     In Greece we season tomatoes with oregano, but basil is a classic Mediterranean companion for tomato as well;  so  it’s up to you.
Cooking this dish, won't take you more than 20-30 minutes.






For the tomato sauce: (my favorite pasta sauce)

300gr peeled and diced ripe tomatoes (canned tomatoes work fine too)
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove crushed
1Tbsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste   

In a saucepan, over medium heat, add all the ingredients and simmer for 10 min until the sauce thickens. Set aside.





Meanwhile prepare the eggplants:

3 medium eggplants (about 300gr)
1 cup olive or vegetable oil 
salt to taste

     Peel the eggplants (optional), and on a cutting board cut them in 1cm thick slices.
In a pan, over medium heat, put the oil and when hot enough fry the eggplant slices in batches until golden brown on both sides.
Transfer and arrange them in a baking pan. Season with salt.

     Pour the tomato sauce evenly over the eggplant slices in the baking pan and top with 200gr crushed feta. Drizzle with some olive oil, season with oregano, and place under the oven's grill until the cheese melts (about 5 min).
Serve hot or at room temperature. 

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