Eggplant and mozzarella towers with parsley pesto

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 2 large eggplants
• Salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50 g pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch parsley, flat
• 50 g Parmesan
• 100 ml olive oil, maybe a little more
• 2 balls of buffalo mozzarella
• 1 large bell pepper(s), red
• Balsamic cream
• Black pepper, coarsely ground

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

easy to prepare, visually very appealing, spicy in taste

Cut the eggplant into even, thin slices, sprinkle with salt, and let it soak for about an hour. Rinse briefly under running water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Brush the eggplant slices with oil and roast them on both sides in a well-heated, dry grill pan. Toast the pine nuts (without fat, being careful not to overbrown them; reserve a few for garnish). Blend them in a food processor with the garlic, parsley, Parmesan, and oil until you get a smooth pesto. If it’s too solid, add a little more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Slice the buffalo mozzarella and roughly tear them into strips. Arrange three eggplant slices on each plate, then add a few strips of buffalo mozzarella, crown with a beautiful single slice of eggplant, and finish with buffalo mozzarella. Sprinkle with a few pine nuts and pour the pesto over them. Dice the bell pepper into tiny cubes and scatter over the eggplant tower. Drizzle with a thick balsamic cream, sprinkle with coarse pepper, and serve. You can also serve the tower without the bell pepper and balsamic cream, but I think the sweetness of the bell pepper and the tartness of the balsamic vinegar go perfectly with the roasted eggplant.