Ive had so many friends and patients bringing me crazy delish tomatoes from their gardens (keep them coming, btw 😉  It really makes me miss having a garden!  The tomatoes at the farmers markets right now are so incredibly delicious too.  There truly is no comparison to store bought (even organic) to whats grown in the garden.

Since it is tomato season and summer, it got me wondering about tomato recipes.  I wanted to kill two birds with one stone here: 1. use in season and local tomatoes and 2. use tomatoes because they are hydrating due to their high water content.

I discovered this Provençal baked tomato dish.  It combines some of my favorites.. leeks, garlic, olive oil and eggplant along with the tomatoes.  It is topped off with grated parmesan at the end which could always be optional or only put it on half if you are watching extra calories or are lactose intolerant.  Paired with a lean protein for dinner, this one is a keeper!  And, besides, who doesn’t love a touch of the South of France….

Here’s what you’ll need….

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cups thinly sliced leeks, rinsed and well drained
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 3 large tomatoes (about 1½ pounds), sliced ¼ inch thick
• 1 small summer squash or zucchini, sliced diagonally ¼ inch thick
• 1 small eggplant, sliced ¼ inch thick
• ⅓ cup finely shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried

So good and soooo easy….

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, garlic, ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Transfer the mixture to a shallow 2-quart baking dish.
3. Layer tomatoes, summer squash (or zucchini) and eggplant slices in an alternating shingle pattern over the leek mixture (they will overlap quite a bit). If you have extra vegetable slices, save them for another use. Sprinkle the vegetables with the remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. 

1. Bake the vegetables for 1¼ hours. Sprinkle cheese and marjoram over the top. Continue baking until the edges are browned and the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes more. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

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