Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, cut into ¼ inch slices
• 4 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut into ¼ inch slices
• 2 portobello mushrooms, cut into ¼ inch slices
• 2 plum tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch slices
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 thinly sliced small onion
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed

Description / Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Roast or grill vegetables on both sides until soft. Adding a little bit of water to bottom of a broiling pan helps keep the vegetables from sticking when not cooking with oil.
Make a layer of the thinly sliced onion in the bottom of a 9 by 12 baking pan or a torte pan if you have one, cover onions with a little water. (This trick helps to keep everything from sticking to the bottom of the pan and adds nice flavor.)

Then, layer a third of the eggplant slices on top of the onion, then layer in half the zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, garlic and basil, sprinkling each layer with a tiny bit of mild cayenne or paprika. Repeat layers until all vegetable are used. Press the top with a spatula or spoon to make the torte as compact as possible.
Bake torte in oven until hot throughout and browned on top, about 30 minutes.

Let sit for 5 minutes before removing outer ring of torte pan, then let cool for another 10 minutes or 15 minutes in regular baking pan before cutting.
Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Variation: Puree ¾ cup of soaked dried tomatoes with the olive oil for use as a topping.