Eggplant Cheesecake

Serves 4-6

Cut this into large slabs for lunch or small squares for pre-dinner nibbles. Adapted from “Plenty More: Vibrant Vegetable Cooking from London’s Ottolenghi,” by Yotam Ottolenghi (Ten Speed Press, 2014).

¼ cup + 1 teaspoon olive oil + extra

for brushing foil 2 medium eggplants (about 1½ pounds) sliced crosswise ¾-inch thick

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper 5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

into large chunks

5 ounces cream cheese

3 eggs

¼ cup heavy cream 5¼ ounces baby plum (or cherry)

tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1⁄3 cup minced fresh oregano

1½ teaspoons za’atar

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 400o. Line the base and sides of a deep 7½-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and brush with a little olive oil; set aside.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Arrange the eggplant slices on the cookie sheet and brush with ¼ cup of the olive oil, making sure the eggplants absorb plenty of oil. Sprinkle with the salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Bake 40 minutes, until the eggplant slices are soft and golden. Set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 325o.

Place the feta, cream cheese, eggs, cream and some black pepper in a bowl and beat with a handheld mixer until smooth and thick.

Arrange the eggplant slices in the prepared baking pan; they should fill up the pan as they lean against one another, almost standing on their sides. Fill the gaps between the pieces with the tomatoes and sprinkle with half the oregano.

Pour the cream mixture into the pan, just enough to leave some eggplant pieces and tomatoes exposed; sprinkle with the remaining oregano. Bake 40-45 minutes, until the custard sets and turns golden. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

When the eggplant cheesecake is completely cool, use the foil to carefully

remove it from the pan. Mix the za’atar with the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil, and brush gently over the top and sides. Cut into squares to serve.

Per serving: 314 calories, 10 g protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 27 g fat (13 g saturated), 167 mg cholesterol, 443 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.