Eggplant Steaks with Caprese Salsa

We arrived in San Antonio yesterday and will be here for a week.  As soon as we had the motor home set up yesterday we headed to the Riverwalk and had lunch on the sidewalk watching the boats go by.  San Antonio is a great city to visit with tons of things to see and do.  Our RV Resort has a walking trail also along the river, but it happens to be about 6-7 miles away from all the activity.  I am planning on exploring some of the missions (I've already visitied the Alamo), exploring more of the Riverwalk in the downtown area and playing some golf.  We are looking forward to a great week.

With the weather here in the 80's in the afternoons, I've been craving some grilled food. This eggplant dish has been on my mind for a while and this was very good, but I'm sure it would be even better with tomatoes straight from the garden or farmer's market in the heat of summer.  I can't wait to make this again in season.  I basically took a medium sized eggplant (just about 1 1/2 pounds) and sliced it in four thick lengthwise slices.  The slices got a quick marinade in a balsamic vinaigrette before being grilled.  Once done they were then topped with a tomato and mozzarella mixture (as in a Caprese salad) and served with a grilled bread slice. 

The grilled eggplant brought the Caprese salad to a whole new level.

Eggplant Steaks with Caprese Salsa
Makes 4 Servings

For the Eggplant:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 eggplant (1 - 1 1/2 pounds)

For the Salsa:
2 cups seeded and diced fresh tomatoes
1 cup diced fresh mozzarella (4 ounces)
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Whisk together 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup oil, garlic, salt and pepper for the eggplant in a bowl.  Cut eggplant lengthwise into four 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick slices.  Place eggplant slices in a large glass dish.  Pour vinegar mixture over eggplant, turning to coat slices; let eggplant sit for 5 minutes.

Combine tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 teaspoons oil, salt, and pepper for the salsa in a medium bowl; set aside.  Do not do this step earlier in the process so that the tomatoes will keep their freshness.

Grill eggplant slices, covered, until tender, 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove eggplant from grill; top with salsa.  Garnish with more basil if desired.

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