I originally got this recipe from a cookbook my daughter-in-law brought me from London while on vacation. I made a few changes primarily because the original recipe called for dried eggplant which I have never seen here in my little town. This is a great quick and easy recipe with unbelievable flavor. I make this frequently on Saturday night after Havdallah. Just remember to remove the puff pastry from the freezer an hour or so before you plan to make it. I placed a question mark near the herbs because I don't measure these - I love cooking with fresh herbs.
Ingredients:
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 lb. eggplant, (approx) peeled, halved, sliced
1 to 2 cups diced tomatoes (grape tomatoes or plum)
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 cup halved black olives
1 medium onion, large dice
2 cloves minced garlic
8 oz. quartered mushrooms
2 TB (?) Fresh thyme and/or basil
3 TB (?) Chopped fresh parsley
Line colander with eggplant slices and sprinkle with kosher salt. Set over a bowl and allow to sweat liquid for about 20 minutes. Rinse and dry. Saute onion until soft and add mushrooms. Cook about 3 or 4 minutes until mushrooms begin to cook. Remove to large bowl. Add more olive oil to pan and saute eggplant with garlic. Eggplant soaks up a lot of oil so you may have to add a little more to help it cook. Once eggplant appears to have softened, remove to same bowl as onions. Add tomatoes and olives to sauteed vegetables. Mix well. Season with thyme, basil, parsley, and pepper. You may add salt but taste first as the eggplant may have retained some of the salt from the soaking.
Spread filling into individual "au gratin" crocks or a shallow baking dish. Roll pastry out to fit the top and place on top of the filling sealing the edges. You can make a few slits lightly in the top.
Bake at 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. You can serve as is but I usually invert onto a serving dish because the filling is extremely hot. If you have any leftovers you can refrigerate. I love this reheated even though the dough gets a little soft. Serves about 4.
