Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Bundles

I love QVC and one of my favorite hosts happens to be David Venable.  He hosts his own “In the Kitchen with David” show every Wednesday night and Sunday morning, as well as hosting other shows throughout.  When he does his ITKWD segments he also shows a recipe.  This past Sunday he made eggplant bundles and Zack and I both agreed that we wanted to try it.  So we did! 

We fixed this last night and it was pretty good.  The only thing that might have hindered us is we have never purchased an eggplant before so not knowing how to pick a good one could be a mistake.  Ours was a little on the bitter side and decided that if we made this again we would also make a balsamic glaze to drizzle over them before serving.  Which with it’s sweetness would have cut through any bitterness.  And to make a balsamic glaze all you do is bring balsamic vinegar to a boil and let it reduce down.

What do you need?

1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 large ball smoked mozzarella cheese
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 pinch of thyme, basil, dill, and oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

What do you do?

Preheat grill over medium heat.

In a medium-size bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and herbs. Brush both sides of the eggplant with the olive oil and vinegar mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange half of the eggplant slices on a tray. Top each eggplant with a slice of smoked mozzarella, tomato, and another slice of mozzarella. Then, top with the remaining eggplant slices. Sprinkle salt and pepper on each bundle.

Arrange bundles on the grill grate. Cook approximately 4 – 5 minutes; carefully flip, then cook an additional 4 – 5 minutes.

To serve, garnish with a generous sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese.