Tomato and Eggplant Towers

I stumbled upon this recipe when I was reading a children's book on gardening. The towers looked so delicious in the book so I thought I'd give it a try and discovered one of my new favorite things to cook. I have made it many times in the last few months and it has become quite a favorite in my household. Enjoy!

• 6 large ripe tomatoes cut in half
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 8 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp sea salt and ground black pepper
• 1 large eggplant, thinly sliced
• pinch of paprika
• 8 tbsp of plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp of honey
• 4 tbsp blanched almonds, chopped

1. Preheat oven 300 F
2. Lay the tomatoes cut-side up on a cookie sheet. Mix the garlic and Italian seasoning with the salt, pepper, and half the olive oil. Spoon this over the tomatoes.
3. Bake in the oven for 2-3 hours. Allow to cool.
4. Layer the slices of eggplant in a colander, sprinkling a little salt between each layer. Leave for 30 minutes then rinse well with water and dry.
5. Place the eggplant slices in a large bowl, pour over the rest of the olive oil, and sprinkle with a little paprika. Toss together with your hands.
6. Heat a ridged griddle pan and then add a single layer of the eggplant slices. Cook each side until tender. Place the slices on a plate. Repeat for the other slices.
7. To serve, create towers by piling up the eggplant slices and tomato halves in alternate layers. Drizzle two tbsp of yogurt over each tower.
8. Pour on some honey and sprinkle with chopped almonds.
Viola!