Ingredients
6 roma tomatoes, divided
2 red bell peppers, seeded and left whole
½ cup vegetable stock
½ cup water
2 sprigs rosemary, picked, divided
2 sprigs thyme, picked
1 garlic clove
½ onions, small
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 zucchini
2 Japanese eggplants, or regular eggplants, medium
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
5 parsley leaves, torn
1 sprig thyme
Preparation
Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.
Place your red bell peppers in the oven and roast for roughly 10 to 15 minutes. Once finished, remove from the oven and place in a mixing bowl. Cover immediately with plastic wrap and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. Peel off the skin of each bell pepper and remove the seeds.
Place the bell peppers in a high-powered blender or food processor, then add in rosemary, thyme, garlic, red onion, vegetable stock, water, and olive oil. Blend on high speed until completely smooth. Set aside once done.
Lower the heat of the oven to 225 degrees F.
Grab the zucchini and using a sharp knife, cut it into ⅛-inch thick slices. You may use a mandolin for even slices. Do the same for the eggplant and tomatoes.
Place the sliced vegetables onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and set them aside.
In a cast iron, shallow roaster, or casserole, pour a thin layer of the roast pepper mixture and spread evenly. Begin shingling vegetables starting with the zucchini, followed by tomato and eggplant continuing the pattern around the cast iron. Let each slice stick out less than ¼-inch from underneath the following slice.
Grab a sprig of rosemary and finely chop. Sprinkle the vegetables with kosher salt, ground black pepper, and chopped rosemary then brush with olive oil using a pastry brush. Cut a piece of parchment paper to the size of the cast iron and place it on top of the vegetables.
Roast for 40 minutes until the vegetables are completely softened but still hold their shape.
Place a ring mold in the center of a large plate and fill widthwise with vegetables stacked vertically. Place a layer of vegetables staggered horizontally over top, and slowly remove ring mold.
Combine 1 tablespoon of the red pepper sauce from the bottom of the with the remaining olive oil, and drizzle in a circle around the outside of the vegetable stack. Garnish with torn parsley and a sprig of thyme and serve. Enjoy!
