Eggplant, Goat Cheese and Bell Pepper Tapas.

Let me tell you about these tapas. They are freakin’ fantastic. As soon as I had my first bite they jumped to the top of my list of favorite foods. They consist of simple ingredients that taste absolutely god-tier together. I first tried them at Ciccolina a Peruvian-Italian Tapas Restaurant in Cusco, Peru. If you are ever in Cusco go to Ciccolina. It is seriously worth it. I’ve been waiting for a while to try and make these, however, I simply couldn’t wait any longer, so here they are!

½ of a large eggplant or a whole medium one

1 Bell Pepper, preferably red though it really doesn’t matter

Goat Cheese

A baguette

Olive Oil

Basil, for garnish

First cut the eggplant into 1/3 inch slices. Sprinkle salt liberally on both sides and allow to sweat for at least an hour.  

Cut the baguette into slices about ½ inch thick. Toast them until they are dry and just starting to turn golden. You don’t want to actually get toast, just dry out the bread a bit so it’s easier to bite into and provides a better texture juxtaposition.

Roast the pepper over an open flame or under the broiler until the skin bubbles and blackens slightly. Peel the skin off then cut into pieces approximately the size of one of your baguette slices. 

Take a frying pan and pour in some olive oil and fry the pepper slices until they are warm through and have some brownish spots on both sides.

Wash your eggplant so that it is free of salt then dry thoroughly with some paper towel. Either fry in a pan with some olive oil or grill it, both ways are tasty. Cook until nicely browned. Because they are fairly thin the pieces will be a little delicate, take care not to rip them as you take them out of the pan or move them around.

After the pepper and eggplant have been cooked and cooled you can either leave them in the fridge and assemble later or assemble them right away. If you plan to eat these the next day it is better to assemble the day off. 

To assemble take a piece of bread and put a piece of pepper on it. Next take a scant tablespoon of goat cheese and put it in the middle of a piece of eggplant. Roll the eggplant around the goat cheese then place on top of the pepper. When you have assembled them all roughly chop some basil and sprinkle a bit over each one.

Eat and enjoy!