Quality ingredients, simply prepared. This has been a mantra of ours that started in our pre-saltmaking life when we interviewed a rising star chef as the tenant in a building we owned and lived in. At the interview, he shared this belief and some of his visions with us. This chef has since become a world-class top chef and our food game has increased one-hundredfold.
This recipe, recently shared with us by “fashionable foodie and celebrated designer” Peter Som from whom we have freely plagiarized, is true to this refrain. It is hard to find anything simpler and more satisfying than throwing a bunch of delicious things on a sheet pan, adding a glug of quality olive oil, letting the oven do its magic, and then finishing with sea salt to bring out even more flavor. Include some "exotic" ingredients like gochujang and za’atar and a delicious and memorable dish that is sure to impress is yours! Hot out of the oven, feta becomes mellow and creamy, the perfect foil for tender eggplant. And there’s the subtle spicy-sweet kick of gochujang-laced cherry tomatoes that create their own sauce when they burst. This tray bake falls somewhere in the lunch, snack, appetizer realm—really, it’s great for any time of day. Make sure to eat it soon after you take it out of the oven and definitely with the best crusty baguette you can find.
Baked Feta With Fairy Tale Eggplant and Gochujang Sungold Tomatoes
Ingredients:
- 1 pint Sungold cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 2 pounds fairy tale eggplant, cut in half lengthwise
- 8 ounces feta, cut into ½-inch slabs
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons za’atar, divided
- Flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
- Amagansett Sea Salt for finishing
Method:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a medium bowl, toss tomatoes with gochujang, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
On a quarter-size baking sheet, arrange coated tomatoes around feta and eggplant and drizzle all with olive oil. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon za’atar. Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes or until tomatoes are blistered and feta is browned.
Garnish with flat-leaf parsley, remaining za’atar, and sea salt. Serve with a crusty baguette.
Makes 4 servings
