Eggplant (Aubergine) and Portabella "burgers"

Submitted by Gingersnap in Midwe

"These are delicious sandwiches. Use vegetarian Worcestershire sauce. I have tried making these also with fresh mozzarella and American cheese, but the fontina is wonderful. Also, it's good to prepare eggplant before cooking. Slice, salt both sides and place on a paper towel on a plate. Put a paper towel over the slices and place another plate on top and then place something heavy on top of the plate. This helps draw out eggplant's natural bitterness and allows you to get away without using so much oil to cook it with. After an hour or so, remove the eggplant and brush off the salt and use. I've also heard of people rinsing off the eggplant but I've never rinsed it."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Yields: 4 sandwiches
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 4 (3 -4 inch) portabella mushrooms, cleaned and gills scraped off
• vegetarian worcestershire sauce
• 4 English muffins, split
• 4 ounces thinly sliced fontina
• 4 slices eggplants, very thin
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 large tomatoes

directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat until hot. Spray the mushroom tops with cooking spray and brush on Worcestershire sauce. Heat them in the skillet, tops down, for 3-4 minutes and turn them over for 3-4 minutes. Remove them when tender and set aside.
3. Put the muffin bottoms on a baking sheet and top with cheese. Bake them until the cheese melts and remove them from the oven and the baking sheet.
4. Spray both sides of the eggplant with the spray and brush with Worcestershire sauce and place them on the baking sheet. Bake them 5 minutes and turn. Place the muffin tops also on the baking sheet at this time and bake for 5 minutes. Bake until the eggplant is tender and the muffin tops golden.
5. To make your sandwich, place a small amount of mayo on the muffin bottom. Layer tomato, eggplant and mushroom on the bottom and top with the top half of muffin.