Bruschette with Eggplant Caviar

It almost seems yesterday, and yet it's been a whole year since I found this recipe - I bought a food magazine (what else?) to read on the beach, and this was one of those recipes I said to myself I  had to try immediately, as soon as I got home, that is to say. Well, I actually never did. Until this year. It's summer again, so, what better moment to try this caviar - it finally found it's place on my table.
We've just come back from a 10-day vacation at the seaside. Timing is sometimes the most important thing - we really chose a very good moment to go, we left Modena suffocating in terribly hot and humid weather, spent some great time in a place you could define a paradise for kids, and came back to a slightly fresher weather that even permits me to turn my oven on, again. Not that we didn't have some great food while there, but homemade is always homemade, even when in very basic or simple form.
This is what I call a great summer dish, delicious in every sense.

Bruschette with Eggplant Caviar

* 2 small eggplants (aubergines)
* 2 scallions (green onions)
* 2 ripe tomatoes
* fresh basil (about 10 leaves)
* 1/2 lemon (juice)
* salt, pepper
* Extra virgin olive oil
* 4 large slices of rustic bread
* 1 clove of garlic

Wash and dry the eggplants. Place them on a baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes in an oven preheated to 160°C or until soft.
Take them out of the oven and let them cool a bit, then peel the skin and cut into pieces. Leave the eggplant pulp for about 30 minutes in a colander to drain.
Using an immersion blender or food processor turn the eggplant pulp into smooth paste.
Clean the scallions and cut them finely (the white part only).
Wash the tomatoes, cut them in half and remove the seeds, then cut the pulp into very small cubes.
Wash and dry the basil leaves. Chop them with your hands.
Put the mixed eggplant pulp into a bowl, add the scallions, the basil leaves, the juice from 1/2 lemon and half of the chopped tomatoes.
Toast the bread slices under the broiler.
Add a little eggplant mixture on each and decorate with the remaining chopped tomatoes and a few basil leaves.
Enjoy.

Bruschette con caviale di melanzane


* 2 melanzane piccole
* 2 cipollotti
* 2 pomodori maturi
* basilico fresco (decina di foglie)
* 1/2 limone (succo)
* sale, pepe
* olio extra vergine di oliva
* 4 fette grandi di pane (tipo pugliese)
* 1 spicchio d'aglio


Lavate e asciugate le melanzane. Mettetele su una teglia e cuocetele per circa 45 minuti nel forno già riscaldato a 160°C o finché diventino morbide. Giratele più volte durante cottura.
Lasciatele intiepidire, poi pelatele e tagliatele a pezzetti e lasciate scolare per circa 30 minuti in uno scolapasta.
Pulite i cipollotti, eliminate le radici e la parte verde, e tagliateli finemente.
Lavate, asciugate e spezzettate con le mani le foglie di basilico.
Lavate i pomodori, eliminate i semi e tagliateli in cubetti piccolissimi.
Frullate la polpa delle melanzane e poi trasferitela in una terrina. Aggiungete i cipollotti, il basilico spezzettato, il succo di mezzo limone e metà dei cubetti di pomodoro. Condite con sale, pepe e un filo d'olio.
Tostate le fette di pane sotto il grill, conditele con il composto di melanzane e decorate con i cubetti di pomodoro rimasti e qualche fogliolina di basilico. 

Bruschette s kavijarom od patlidžana


* 2 manja patlidžana
* 2 glavice mladog luka
* 2 rajčice
* svježi bosiljak (10-ak listića)
* 1/2 limuna (sok)
* sol, papar
* maslinovo ulje
* 4 velike kriške kruha (ili 8 manjih)
* 1 češanj češnjaka


Operite i posušite patlidžane.
Stavite ih cijele na pleh obložen papirom za pečenje i pecite oko 45 minuta u pećnici zagrijanoj na 160°C, dok ne postanu mekane. Okrenite ih nekoliko puta tijekom pečenja da se ravnomjerno ispeku.
Pečene patlidžane izvadite iz pećnice, ostavite ih da se malo ohlade pa ih ogulite (kožica se lagano odvaja) i narežite na komadiće.
Ostavite narezane patlidžane u cjedilu da ispuste vodu.
Mladi luk očistite pa sitno narežite (samo bijeli dio).
Rajčice operite, prerežite na pola i izvadite sjemenke, a zatim ih narežite na što sitnije kockice.
Listove bosiljka operite i odmah posušite kuhinjskim papirom. Rukama ih sitno natrgajte.
Ocijeđene patlidžane smrvite u blenderu ili štapnim mikserom u kašu.
Stavite dobivenu kašu u zdjelu, dodajte nasjeckani luk, natrgane listiće bosiljka, sok pola limuna i polovicu kockica rajčice.
Posolite i popaprite po svom ukusu i dodajte malo maslinovog ulja.
Kriške kruha prepecite u pećnici ispod grila ili na gril tavi.
Prerežite češanj češnjaka na pola i prerezanom stranom natrljajte prepečeni kruh.
Rasporedite pripremljeni kavijar na kruh, ukrasite preostalim kockicama rajčica i kojim listićem bosiljka, polijte s malčice maslinovog ulja i poslužite.