Gratin Of Eggplant With An Orange Tomato Sauce (Vegetarian)

Directions

1. Hot 2 Tbsp. of the oil in a saute/fry over medium heat. Stir in the onions, garlic, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, till the vegetables are soft but no browned, about 20 mins. Add in the tomatoes and orange zest, turn the heat up to medium-high, and cook, stirring, till the tomato juice has nearly evaporated and the sauce is thick and jammy, about 15 min. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, adding a little salt and a lot of freshly grnd pepper.
2. Off the heat, stir in the basil and set the sauce aside. The sauce can be prepared well ahead of time and refrigerated till you're ready to continue cooking. Add in about 1/4 c. water to the sauce to keep it from scorching and reheat before continuing with the recipe.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the eggplant no more than 1/2 inch thick. Use some of the remaining oil to oil a baking sheet lightly. Lay the eggplant slices on the sheet and, using a paintbrush or possibly pastry brush, paint each slice with a thin coating of oil. Roast the eggplant slices for about 20 min or possibly till they are brown on top and creamy inside. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
4. Preheat the broiler.
5. *Top each eggplant slice with a heaped Tbsp. of the orange tomato sauce, then sprinkle with a little grated cheese. Return to the oven and broil for 5 to 7 min or possibly just long sufficient to heat the cheese bubble the sauce.
6. *For a more handsome presentation, lightly oil an oval gratin dish and spread a very thin layer of orange tomato sauce over the bottom. Set the eggplant slices on the sauce, top with more sauce and cheese, and broil.
7. Serve directly from the gratin dish.
8. Makes 6 servings.
9. VARIATION: dice 1 oz of slab bacon, about 1/3 c.. Start by gently cooking the bacon in the sauce pan with only 1 tbs of the oil till the bacon fat starts to run and the edges of the bacon begin to brown, about 5 to 7 min. Stir in the onions and complete the above recipe.