Eggplant, Tomato and Onion Gratin

It's been a busy summer around here. We're settling in to our new place, doing some traveling, and adjusting to life in the suburbs. After a long tiring day today (for some reason, E was not in the best of moods, which meant I was not in the best of moods either), the last thing I felt like doing tonight was cooking. But, I had an eggplant I needed to use up in the fridge and I knew I wanted to try baking it. I found the following recipe online and I'm glad I gave it a go because I turned out quite delicious. It's a perfect summer recipe since it features two of summer's most prominent players: eggplant and ripe tomatoes. However, be prepared to have your oven on for about an hour, so save this one for a day when the heat hasn't gotten the best of you. (Also, it's called a "gratin" but the recipe doesn't include any cheese, just so you know. I was a little skeptical about this at first, but it actually worked out perfectly). I used avocado oil instead of butter for frying because I love this oil for cooking at high temperatures but butter would work just as well.

Eggplant, Tomato and Onion Gratin

1 large sweet onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1-2 tsp dried)
1 bay leaf
3-4 tbs unsalted butter or oil (divided)
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
3-4 medium sized ripe tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onions, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper in half the butter or oil (whichever you are using) until soft, about 4 minutes. Remove bay leaf from onion mixture.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with the remaining butter/oil. Spread onion mixture over bottom of dish. Cover with overlapping rows of alternate eggplant and tomato slices. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with remaining oil.

Cover and bake until eggplant is soft enough to cut with a spoon, about 45 mn. Uncover for last 15 mn or earlier if tomatoes are giving up too much liquid. Brush or spoon juices over top occasoinally to prevent top layer from drying out (I did this once about 40 mn into the cooking). The gratin should be moist but not watery.