Smoked Eggplant & Heirloom Tomato Tartlets

Covert Organic Farm’s Tomato Iron Chef 2011 –Executive Chef Chris Remington’s “Smoked Eggplant & Heirloom Tomato Tartlet with Tomatillo and Crispy Bacon Salsa.”

Ingredients:

1 large tartlet shell or 4 small tartlet shells

1 Whole Eggplant with skin on

1 Onion-skin removed and cut into slices

5 garlic cloves peeled

3-5 Heirloom Tomatoes- sliced

3 Tomatillos-diced

2 slices cooked crispy bacon, crumbled

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Banyuls Vinegar

Hazlenut Oil

Wood chips

Tin Foil

Smoke eggplant, onion and garlic until grilled and eggplant is soft. (For a homemade smoker on a gas BBQ, use a 3-foot sheet of aluminum foil to create a pouch and fill with wet hardwoo smoking chips and place under grill of BBQ on medium-high heat. When woodchips begin to smoke, place eggplant, onion and garlic on top of grill grate.)

Remove sliced onions and garlic from BBQ and place into a blender. Remove eggplant, cut in half and scoop insides into the blender. Puree until smooth.

Make Green Tomatillo and Crispy Bacon Salsa by mixing diced tomatillos, bacon and a little olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fill inside of tartlet(s) with smoked eggplant, onion and garlic puree. Top with sliced heirloom tomatoes, followed by the Tomatillo and Crispy Bacon Salsa. Drizzle with Banyuls Vinegar and Hazlenut Oil. Enjoy.