Italian Stuffed Aubergines Recipes

STUFFED AUBERGINES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Cut the aubergines in half, lengthways, and (leaving a border of around 5mm/¼in), cut out the flesh.
• Dice the flesh and set aside. Brush the inside of the aubergines with olive oil and season with salt. Place in a baking tin and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan. Add the onion and fry gently over a medium heat for 10 minutes, or until softened.
• Increase the heat, add the garlic and aubergine flesh and stir until the aubergine has lightly browned. Add the herbs, chilli flakes, if using, and the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine, reduce the heat and cover.
• Simmer for 10 minutes, remove the lid and continue to cook until any liquid has evaporated.
• Spoon the mixture into the aubergine halves. Mix the breadcrumbs with the cheese, lemon zest and basil, and season with a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle this over the stuffed aubergines, and drizzle with more olive oil.
• Bake the aubergines, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is hot and the top has lightly browned. Serve.

ITALIAN STUFFED AUBERGINES

Steps:

• First of all, wipe the aubergine and trim off the stalk end, then use the very sharpest knife you have to cut it lengthways into 8 thin slices about ¼ inch (5 mm) thick. When you get to the bulbous sides these slices should be chopped into small pieces and kept aside for the filling. Now arrange the slices of aubergine in rows on the baking sheet, then brush each slice lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pop them into the oven on a high shelf and let them pre-cook for 15 minutes, by which time they will have softened enough for you to roll them up easily. Next pour boiling water on the tomatoes and after 1 minute drain and slip the skins off. Then cut each tomato in half and, holding them in the palm of your hand, gently squeeze them until the seeds come out - it's best to do this over a plate or a bowl! You can watch how to do this by clicking on the Cookery School Video on this page. Now using a sharp knife, chop the tomatoes into approximately ¼ inch (5 mm) dice. Now heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large solid frying pan and fry the onion, chopped aubergine and crushed garlic for about 5 minutes. Then add the chopped tomatoes, torn basil leaves and tomato paste and continue to cook for about another 5 minutes. Give everything a good seasoning and add the chopped anchovies and capers. Then remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly. Now chop the Mozzarella into very small dice. As soon as the aubergines are cool enough to handle, sprinkle each one with chopped Mozzarella, placing it all along the centre of each slice. On top of that, put an equal amount of stuffing ingredients, leaving a border all round to allow for expansion. Roll up the slices and put them in the baking dish, making sure the overlapping ends are tucked underneath. Finally brush each one with oil, combine the fresh breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan, sprinkle the mixture over them, pop a basil leaf on top, then bake in the oven (same temperature) for about 20 minutes and serve immediately.