Eggplant with Marinated Tomatoes

Adapted from It's About Time by Michael Schlow (Clarkson Potter, 2005)
Serves 4

Note: Read the full recipe before starting to understand how the eggplant and tomato components fit together. The timing matters.

Eggplant

1 cup flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill White Rice Flour—not sweet.)
Salt and pepper
2 eggs
1 cup fine dried bread crumbs
1 small to medium unpeeled eggplant, sliced into rounds slightly thicker than ¼ inch
The same number of thin slices of fresh mozzarella as slices of eggplant
Neutral oil for frying (I use grapeseed)
Heaping tablespoons of Basil-Marinated Tomatoes (recipe follows)

Place the flour on a large flat plate and season with salt and pepper.

Beat the eggs and put them through a sieve into a small bowl. This makes the eggs lump-free so the breadcrumbs adhere evenly. Pour the eggs from the bowl onto another flat plate.

Put the breadcrumbs onto a third flat plate.

Dip both sides of each eggplant slice in the flour, shaking off any excess, then in the beaten eggs, allowing the excess egg to drip back onto the plate, then in the breadcrumbs, coating both sides evenly. Place each breaded slice on a clean platter as you go, and repeat the process until all slices are breaded. You can refrigerate the platter of breaded eggplant slices for 30 minutes, but you don’t have to.

Fry each slice of eggplant until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate or platter until all slices are done.

Place each fried slice on a plate, top with a thin slice of mozzarella, then with a spoonful of Basil-Marinated Tomatoes, and serve.

Basil-Marinated Tomatoes
Makes 1½ cups

4 ripe tomatoes, cut into medium dice (Use plum, round, or cherry tomatoes—whatever are the best available.)
8 to 10 large basil leaves, washed, dried, and torn into small pieces
2 ounces (¼ cup) of your best extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Salt

Combine everything in a bowl and marinate for at least one hour and no more than two. Before serving, drain some of the liquid or use a slotted spoon to serve.