Dry Eggplant with Herbed Olive Oil and Tomatoes

Remove stem from eggplants and cut each into rounds 3/4-inch thick.

Heat a large heavy bottom skillet (like cast-iron) over medium high heat. Working in batched, lay out eggplant slices in a single layer. Cook eggplant until browned on each side and no longer stiff, about 3-4 minutes per side.

While eggplant is cooking, thinly slice shallots and mince garlic. Heat olive oil in a separate saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots to oil. Saute for about 5 minutes until softened.

Mince oregano and add to garlic-shallot mixture. Stir for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Turn off heat and set aside until eggplant is all cooked.

When a batch of the eggplant slices are cooked, transfer to a medium sized bowl and repeat with remaining slices. When all the eggplant is cooked and in the bowl, pour over the olive oil-shallot-garlic mixture. Toss along with some salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for at least half an hour.

When ready to serve, cut tomatoes into bite sized wedges and thinly slice basil leaves. Toss tomatoes and basil with eggplant, some more salt and pepper, and serve.