Fried Vegetable Salad

I have to admit, it's really weird to go from a low-fat diet to something that allows "good" oils in moderation.  I wanted a salad to go with some hummus (and a few of the croissants I baked before the tests came back), and came up with this riff on the tomato and garlic confit.  It's cooked on the stove instead of in the oven so I could keep an eye on the eggplant.

The interesting part of this recipe is that the oil absorbed by the vegetables becomes part of the dressing.  You toss the finished product in balsamic vinegar, then set it on top of the lettuce.  The liquids trickle down to coat the rest of the salad.

The toppings should also be served warm.  Warm, or at least room temperature salads are a thing in Europe and the Mediterranean.  It's a nice addition to an otherwise cold meal.

1 medium eggplant
1 cup grape tomatoes
*4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp crushed dried rosemary
olive oil for frying
*1 Tb balsamic vinegar
lettuce for serving
crumbled feta for serving

1.  In a 10" skillet, drizzle oil until it is about 1/8" deep.  That's a well-coated bottom.  Sprinkle salt and rosemary into it.

2.  Peel garlic and cut the cloves in half.  Wash and dry tomatoes.  Wash eggplant, cut off cap, and slice as desired.  I did wedges, then cut them in half crosswise so they would fit in the pan.  You could do half-moons as well.  The slices should be no more than 1/2" thick.

3.  Heat oil over medium-high until shimmery.  Add vegetables to the pan without over-crowding.  You will have to work in batches.  Turn eggplant every couple of minutes until cooked through.  Pull vegetables once cooked and add more when there's room.  Add oil as necessary, since eggplant soaks up a lot.  Place cooked pieces in a bowl without draining.

4.  Once all the pieces have been fried, drizzle the vinegar over them in the bowl and toss to coat.  Set pieces on torn lettuce, sprinkle with feta crumbles, and serve.

Difficulty rating  :)