eggplant, olive and cherry tomato cheesecake
Cuisine: Israeli
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 50 mins
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 medium eggplant, cut into thick half circles
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 150g cream cheese
  • 3 eggs
  • 150g feta, sliced into chunks
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 10 black olives, pitted
  • ¼ cup fresh oregano leaves, torn
  • 1 tablespoon za'atar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 395°F/200°C and line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Place the eggplant slices on top of the baking tray and brush 4 tablespoons of olive oil on top of them. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until completely soft and golden. Set aside and reduce oven temperature to 350°F/180°C.
  2. Line a rectangular baking tray with aluminium foil and brush it with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
  3. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, eggs, feta and heavy cream until smooth and thick, about 5 minutes.
  4. Place the eggplant slices evenly across the baking tray. Fill the remaining open spots with the halved cherry tomatoes, black olives and almost all of the torn oregano leaves. Pour the cheese mixture on top, making sure to leave some of the vegetables in sight. Decorate the top with the remaining oregano leaves and bake for 30 minutes until cooked through and golden.
  5. Let cool slightly. Combine the za'atar and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl and brush this topping over the cheesecake. Cut it into squares and serve warm.
Notes
ADAPTED FROM: Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook Plenty More, recipe entitled "Eggplant Cheesecake"
Recipe by Savormania at http://www.savormania.com/en/eggplant-olive-and-tomato-cheesecake/