Greek Baked Eggplant With Tomato & Feta

1 eggplant, sliced in half lengthwise and scored all over in a criss-cross pattern (without cutting through the skin).
olive oil, for baking
90g feta cheese

for the tomato sauce
0.25 cups olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, sliced
400g chopped tomatoes, (400 grams = 1 can)
½ bunch fresh basil, optional
1 teaspoon salt
pepper, (to taste)
0.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 200C. Brush the eggplant with a generous amount of olive oil, and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

Bake each eggplant half facedown in little separate baking dishes (or side by side in a slightly bigger baking dish) for about 45 minutes or until the flesh is soft.

Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a pan with a large surface area, then add the garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes (don’t brown the garlic), then add the chopped tomatoes, herbs and salt and pepper. Half fill the empty tomato can with water and add that to the pan, too.

Let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes, then remove the herb sprigs. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir in.

Pour the tomato sauce over the eggplant, then crumble over the feta. Bake for about another 15 minutes or until the tomato sauce is bubbling.

from: scrummylane.com