Hopvine's Marinated Roasted Eggplant (Aubergine)

At the Hopvine Pub in Seattle, I often order a custom pizza that has pesto, feta, mushrooms, and eggplant on it. (In fact, I've posted my version here as "Eggplant Mushroom Feta Pesto Pizza" - yum!) Recently, I asked them about the eggplant, because I'd noticed on the menu under another description that it said it was their own marinated recipe. A few minutes later, the waiter showed up at the table and handed me a ticket with ingredients on it! Not a recipe, exactly, as no amounts were shown, but here's what I've done with it (with a few tweaks). :) I use these marinated eggplant pieces in sandwiches and on pizza, but I'm sure you can find other uses for them as well. Delicious! Prep time includes chilling.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  medium globe eggplants or 2  medium Japanese eggplants
• 1⁄3 cup olive oil
• 3  tablespoons champagne vinegar or 3  tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  balsamic vinegar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  dried fennel seed
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed before adding
• 1⁄2 teaspoon oregano, crushed before adding
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
• 1⁄8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Remove the peel of the eggplant. (If using Japanese eggplant, it's not necessary to remove the peel.).
2. Slice the peeled eggplant thinly, about 1/8 inch thick, then make into smaller pieces (about 1"x2" strips).
3. Combine remaining ingredients in a plastic airtight container.
4. Add the eggplant pieces, cover, and shake well to coat.
5. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
7. Place eggplant pieces on a non-stick baking sheet and roast for 7 minutes, then carefully turn them and roast another 7 minutes until tender.
8. Keep the eggplant pieces refrigerated in an airtight container until you use them; they'll keep for up to 3 or 4 days.
9. You can use the eggplant in various ways: put them in sandwiches, or (as I do) put the marinated eggplant pieces on your pizza along with the other veggies!
10. Note: this marinade is also good for other roasted vegetables like asparagus; you can also grill the eggplant slices instead of roasting and use them as an appetizer (I use my Foreman grill), to make appetizers with them I usually use unpeeled Asian eggplant instead of the regular kind and slice them diagonally about 1/4-inch thick before grilling.