Author Notes
One of the nicest things about winter is the warmth of the woodstove and there's no reason why you can't use it to make dinner. Wrapped in foil and snuggled in a bed of hot coals, this simple eggplant gets nutty, mellow and sweet. —Eve Fox
Ingredients
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2
eggplants, top and bottom cut off and sliced
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1/2 cup
organic olive oil plus a little bit more to drizzle over the dish at the end
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1/2 cup
garlic scape or regular basil pesto
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1
jar of organic tomato paste
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sea salt to taste
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freshly ground black pepper to taste
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1/2 cup
feta cheese
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1/2 cup
chopped, fresh basil
Directions
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Prepare the bed of coals in your stove. Or, if you do not have a woodstove, preheat your oven to 425.
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Rub both sides of each slice of eggplant with a mixture of olive oil, sea salt and black pepper and then smear each one with a generous glop of tomato paste and pesto.
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Layer them back into eggplant shapes and wrap each eggplant carefully in two layers of tinfoil. Using long tongs and wearing heatproof gloves, place the packets in the stove and heap the coals on top to ensure even cooking. Cook for 25 minutes or so and remove (don your protective gear again).
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Open up the steaming packages and lay the eggplants out on a serving platter. Top with crumbled feta cheese, chopped fresh basil and a little drizzle of olive oil and serve.
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