2 large eggplants
2 14 oz cans of artichoke hearts
8 oz sharp Provolone, or Asiago, or Fontinella
or any other aromatic Italian cheese
olive oil
bread crumbs
oregano
basil (fresh if possible)
8 – 10 fresh mushrooms

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Put Andrea Bocelli or Luciano Pavrotti on the stereo. Peel and slice the eggplant (about ¼ in thick). Thinly slice the mushrooms. Slice the cheese.

Open artichokes and pour half of the liquid from one can of the artichokes into the bottom of a glass-baking dish.

Heat 1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Lightly bread the eggplant slices and fry in the skillet. As the slices brown slightly on both sides, transfer some to the baking dish in an even layer.

As you begin to build up the layers, turn up the music. Add 1/3 of the artichoke hearts as a layer (if artichokes are whole, quarter them).

Add 1/3 of the mushrooms as a layer, then top with a layer consisting of 1/3 of the cheese. Sprinkle with oregano and basil.

Continue frying eggplant, adding more oil as needed. Be careful not to use too much oil because the eggplant really soaks it up. Try to limit the dish to 3-4 tablespoons of oil total.

Continue with the next third of the remaining ingredients, repeating layers until all ingredients are in the dish.

Pour remaining liquid from the artichokes over the layers.

Toss on any left over breadcrumbs.

Cover with foil. Wait for a high note and try to match it as you put the dish in the oven.

Bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Submitted by: Christopher Licavoli