Eggplant Towers

A simple but wonderful warm appetiser. 

Ingredients:
Serves 2

• 2 eggplants, sliced chunkily (about 1cm)
• 2 mozzarella balls, sliced
• 3 roasted red peppers (the ones in the jar are fine)
• 3 tbsp pesto
• 100g mushrooms (sliced)
• toothpicks or sprigs of rosemary, to hold in shape
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• paprika
• rosemary
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in grill pan on medium heat. Grill the eggplant slices on both sides until softened. Do not overcrowd the pan, you can cook in batches. Put aside. Heat the remaining oil and grill the mushrooms sprinkled with parsley. Put aside. 

To assemble the towers, start with an eggplant slice as a base, put a slice of mozzarella and cover with a teaspoon of pesto. Next put a couple of mushroom slices, and top with half a roasted red pepper slice. Top with an eggplant slice, and season with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of paprika and rosemary. Stick a toothpick in the middle, or for a special occasion use a sprig of fresh rosemary instead. 

Put in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes until heated through and mozzarella is slightly melted.