Eggplant Bruschetta

I make a killer eggplant parm. Other than that I haven't had any luck with eggplant. My attempts at baba ganoush, eggplant "meat"balls and eggplant fritters have all ended in mush. Still, I have about 5 or 6 eggplant seedlings growing in the garden, so I've had plans to come up with new eggplant dishes. This "bruschetta", if you want to call it that, is one of those dishes. It's a combination of two recipes that I found online, using ingredients that I already had in the garden and kitchen. I usually don't "drain" the eggplant, which may be why I kept ending up with mush, but it seemed to make all the difference in this dish. This can be served as an entree for a light meal, or as an appetizer to a feast. Either way, it's delicious!

Eggplant Bruschetta

Makes about 2 dozen

• I eggplant, sliced
• Salt
• 4 plum tomatoes, sliced
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 loose handful of basil, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Lay the eggplant slices on a paper towel, covered with a sprinkling of salt, to drain for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 400.
3. One the eggplant has drained, brush off the salt and excess water with a paper towel.
4. Lay the eggplant slices in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
5. While the eggplant is roasting, combine the onion, basil, oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
6. When the eggplant is done roasting, flip the slices over.
7. Top each slice with a tomato, followed by a scoop of the onion mixture.
8. Return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. 
9. Serve immediately.