Eggplant Tower

¼ cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 eggplant

3 tablespoons salt

8 ounces frozen green beans

1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts

salt, pepper to taste

2 cups marinara sauce

Combine the olive oil and garlic in a small pan. Heat over medium-low heat. It should barely form bubbles. Steep the garlic in olive oil while you continue with this recipe.

Slice the eggplant into coins that are about 1 cm thick. Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on a sheet pan. Sprinkly 1 ½ tablespoons of salt on the eggplant. Flip each of the slices of eggplant and sprinkle with the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of salt. Let the eggplant sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. Flip the slices, and let them sit for another 30 minutes.

While the eggplant is being salted, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. After the hour of salting the eggplant has passed, rinse the salt off of each slice and pat dry. Arrange the slices on the prepared sheet pan in a single layer.

Remove the garlic from the heat.

Brush the eggplant with 1 tablespoon of olive oil (from the garlic). Season with salt and pepper. Flip each slice over and repeat this process. Bake the eggplant for about 30 minutes, flipping the slices about halfway through the time.

Boil the frozen green beans until they are soft. (This is probably the only time that I will advise you to overcook a vegetable!) Drain the green beans and artichoke hearts. Combine the drained green beans, artichoke hearts, garlic, remaining 2 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture finely chopped.

Assemble the dish. Place one slice of eggplant on a plate. Top it with about 2 tablespoons of the artichoke filling. Continue layering eggplant and artichoke dressing, ending with the dressing. Pour about ½ cup of marinara sauce around the tower.

4 servings