Roasted Pepper Eggplant and Cheese Terrine
Recipe from Rustico Cooking Chianti Culinary Tour
May 4, 2009
Roasted Pepper Eggplant & Cheese Terrine Recipe is the first of a series of articles from the Rustico Cooking Culinary Tours.
Rustico Cooking Chianti Culinary Tour
The Rustico Cooking Chianti Culinary Tour was the ultimate cooking course experience. During the morning, participants prepared delicious Italian meals under the guidance of Micol Negrin and Dino De Angelis in an authentic castle's kitchen located in the hills of the Chianti region in Tuscany. Then they savoured these meals for lunch 'al fresco' overlooking the breath-taking scenery of the Chianti vineyards.
This savoury vegetarian dish can be served for brunch, lunch or supper as the main course or side dish.
Roasted Pepper, Eggplant & Cheese Terrine Recipe
Elegant, delicious, and original, this terrine is the very essence of summer.
Serves 12
Ingredients:
For the vegetables:
- 6 large red bell peppers, halved, stemmed, and seeded
- 6 large yellow bell peppers, halved, stemmed, and seeded
- 3 large eggplants, cut into long, thin slices (no more than 1/8-inch-thick)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Mascarpone and Ricotta filling:
- 1 pound Mascarpone cheese (preferably imported Italian)
- ½ pound whole-milk Ricotta
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
For the basil oil:
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup basil leaves
To serve:
- 4 cups baby greens
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
How to Make the The Roasted Pepper, Eggplant & Cheese Terrine with Basil Oil:
- Preheat the broiler.
- Arrange the peppers, cut side down, on the baking sheet.
- Place in the preheated broiler and broil until blistered and blackened, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and wrap in the aluminum foil until cool enough to handle; the steam will make it easier to lift the skins away from the flesh later.
- When cool, unwrap, slip off the skins from the peppers, and cut into long thin strips.
- Toss with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
- Set aside.
Prepare the Roasted Eggplants:
- Lower the oven temperature to 425° (preferably on convection mode).
- Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on two 11-inch x 17-inch baking sheets.
- Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of the salt, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Roast in the preheated oven until soft, about 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
Prepare the Mascarpone and Ricotta Filling:
- Combine the Mascarpone, Ricotta, salt, and pepper until smooth in a bowl. Line 2 terrine molds with plastic wrap. Arrange some of the eggplants on the bottom of each terrine.
- Top with some of the Mascarpone mixture, spreading it with the back of a spoon, then cover with a layer of peppers, a layer of parsley, and a layer of basil.
- Repeat until you finish all the ingredients; the top layer should be eggplant.
- Enclose in the plastic wrap and press with your hands to compact the ingredients so they hold together better when sliced.
- Refrigerate up to 24 hours.
Prepare the basil oil:
Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until almost smooth.
How to Serve the Roasted Pepper, Eggplant & Cheese Terrine:
- Toss the greens with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Arrange on each of 12 plates.
- Unwrap the terrine.
- Cut into thin slices and arrange on top of the greens.
- Drizzle with the basil oil and garnish with the diced tomatoes.
- Serve immediately.
Written Permission to print the Roasted Pepper, Eggplant & Cheese Terrine recipe was granted by Micol Negrin of Rustico Cooking.
Micol Negrin is the author of Rustico: Regional Italian Country Cooking and The Italian Grill.
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