Roasted Japanese Eggplant with Tomato and Pecorino

Brett Anderson for The New York Times

The Japanese eggplant in the August 14 Twenty Bag so farm fresh and tender that I skip the peeling part.

INGREDIENTS

Yield:4 servings as an antipasto, or 2 as a main dish

4 small Japanese eggplants

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Sea salt

Cracked black pepper

1 large, very ripe heirloom tomato

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 ounces pecorino di Fossa (or Parmigiano-Reggiano), shaved or thinly sliced

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Peel the eggplant and place in a roasting pan or dish. Coat eggplant with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and light golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

While the eggplant cooks, hand-crush the tomato in a medium bowl and add garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, remaining olive oil and thyme sprigs. Stir to combine.

When eggplant is tender and light golden brown, add tomato mixture to the roasting pan, and roast for another 10 minutes.

Scatter with pecorino and roast for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Transfer to a serving dish, including the pan drippings, and serve hot.