Super Eggplant Subs

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
• 2 large cloves cracked garlic, 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 medium eggplant, firm
• Coarse salt and black pepper
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 (28-ounce) can chopped fire roasted tomatoes (recommended: Muir Glen)
• 1 small (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 4 sub rolls, split
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced or torn
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 pound smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Heat a small pan with extra-virgin olive oil and cracked garlic in it over medium low flame. Trim ends of eggplants and remove a sliver of the skin off of 1 side, so the eggplant sits flat for you to slice it. Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange the eggplant on cookie sheets. When garlic sizzles in oil, using a pastry brush, brush both sides of sliced eggplant. Season eggplant with salt and pepper and roast in hot oven 15 minutes or until tender. Turn eggplant once.

Take a couple of tablespoons of remaining extra-virgin olive oil and place in a second pan, a medium skillet, over medium high heat. To hot garlic oil, add remaining chopped garlic and red onions. Saute the red onions and garlic 2 to 3 minutes then add chopped fire roasted tomatoes and tomato sauce then season with salt and pepper. Lower heat and allow sauce to thicken.

Remove eggplant from the oven. Get split sub rolls ready to fill, arranging the split rolls on a broiler pan. Preheat broiler to melt cheese on subs. Pile layers of cooked eggplant, roasted tomato sauce and torn basil into sub rolls, equally dividing ingredients. Top subs with grated cheese and smoked mozzarella cheese. Melt cheeses under the broiler. Serve subs hot.