Sicilian Stuffed Eggplant Recipes

SICILIAN ROAST STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450F
• Prick the skin of the eggplants and place on rack in the upper half of the oven and roast 20 minutes
• Remove the eggplant and cool 10 minutes to handle
• Heat EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat
• Add the onions, garlic, celery and cubanelle peppers, and let them cook while you cut up the eggplant
• Split the eggplants in half lengthwise and cut away the meat from the inside, keeping a little edge to the skins for stability
• Place the eggplant halves on a baking sheet then coarsely chop the eggplant and add it to the veggies in the skillet
• Add the roasted red peppers and season everything with salt and pepper
• Cook 5 minutes then add nuts, capers and olives
• Drain the tomatoes in a colander over a bowl and stir them up with a wooden spoon to coarsely crush them
• Add the tomatoes to the skillet and a few spoonfuls of the sauce just to moisten the veggies
• Wilt the basil into the vegetables, then fill the eggplant halves with the veggie mixture
• Top with sliced mozzarella and place the halves back in the oven 10 minutes to melt the cheese and set the filling
• Serve a stuffed half eggplant per person with crusty bread for mopping alongside

SICILIAN-STYLE STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Rinse the eggplant, cut off a lid lengthwise and cook until soft in salted water, about 15 minutes. Then take out of the water, let it cool and scoop out pulp. Save the eggplant pulp and the lid for another use. Rinse the tomatoes, remove stalks and scald the tomatoes in boiling water. Rinse in cold water, peel, quarter and remove seeds. Peel onion, cut in half and cut into strips. Spread onion in a baking dish with half of the tomatoes. Season with salt, sugar and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 140°C (approximately 275°F).
• Peel the garlic, chop finely and cook briefly in hot oil with the breadcrumbs. Remove from the heat and let cool. Rinse the parsley, shake dry, pluck off the leaves and chop finely. Mix the cheese and egg with the crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into the eggplant and top with the remaining tomatoes.
• Bake in the oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes. If necessary, add a little water to prevent scorching. Season to taste and serve with the sauce.

EGGPLANT CAPONATA (SICILIAN VERSION)

Steps:

• Toss eggplant with salt and place in a colander set over a bowl. Let sit, about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add eggplant and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in celery mixture, tomatoes, olives, capers, tomato paste, and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until caponata is thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Season caponata with vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.

SICILIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT: MELANZANE AMMUTTUNATE

Steps:

• Make the stuffing: Combine the garlic, mozzarella, Parmigiano together in a medium bowl. Chop a few leaves of mint and add to the mixture. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until the mixture is moist. Mix together. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Wash the eggplants and trim off the end near the stems. Cut the eggplants in half and place flesh side down on a work surface. Use a small knife to make numerous incisions in the skin. I usually make around 10 incisions all over the skin of each eggplant half - approximately 1 inch deep. Stuff each hole with the mixture (fingers work best here). Be sure to push deep into the incision so the stuffing does not come out. (You may have extra filling which can be reserved for another use.) Pour a bit of flour on a flat plate. Dip the flesh side of the eggplant in the flour to coat. Set the eggplant aside.
• Prepare the sauce: Saute the onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet or pan large enough to hold all the eggplant halves. When soft, add the chopped tomatoes and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and a few leaves of basil. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes.
• In a large frying pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the eggplant halves, flesh /flour side down, and fry until brown, about 5 minutes. Once brown, add the eggplant halves to the prepared sauce. When all the eggplant is added to the sauce, cover and allow to simmer over low heat until soft - about 25-20 minutes. (I like to turn the eggplants occasionally as they are cooking.) Once the eggplants are soft and tender, remove to a serving dish and spoon the sauce on top. Serve with plenty of Parmigiano and crusty bread for dipping. Buon appetito!

STUFFED SICILIAN EGGPLANT RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Cut each eggplant in half. Once halved, carefully hollow out each eggplant by slicing the interior flesh of the eggplant into medium-sized cubes.
• Once cubed, use a spoon to gently remove each cube - then use the spoon to hollow out the remainder of the eggplant. (Tip: Ensure you hollow out the interior of each eggplant, without slicing off the top or bottom of the eggplant itself. You essentially want to make a boat out of your eggplant).
• Place the removed flesh of the eggplant into a food processor. Then, add each ingredient into the food processor with the removed eggplant flesh.
• Process all ingredients into a stuffing consistency, which generally requires about 5-8 medium/long pulses (make sure you still have texture: don't process into a paste).
• Add 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil to a cast-iron skillet or frying span. Heat on medium and add the stuffing from the food processor to the pan.
• Spoon the stuffing you've made in the food processor into the frying pan and saute on a medium-low flame for approximately 8-10 minutes. Once this is done cooking, allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• Place your hollowed out eggplant onto a baking sheet that has been lightly greased with extra virgin olive oil. Brush the eggplant with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Once seasoned, spoon the finished stuffing into each eggplant, until full but not overflowing. Top each eggplant with shredded mozzarella and 2 tbsp of marinara sauce.
• Next, add 2 heaping tablespoons of chicken stock and 2 heaping tbsp of Pinot Grigio to the base of the pan, underneath each eggplant.
• Place into a 425 °F for 25-30 Minutes or until the eggplants have cooked down and develop a well-roasted skin.
• When nearly finished, place the eggplants under a low broiler for 10 minutes, until golden-brown and bubbly.
• Garnish with a little more fresh basil, parsley and grated Parmesan cheese and serve.
• Enjoy!

SICILIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Halve the eggplants lengthwise. Run a small sharp knife 1/2 inch in from the edges of the cut side of each eggplant. Scoop out the insides of the eggplants with a spoon and reserve, leaving 1/2 inch thick shells. Sprinkle 1 teaspoons salt into the eggplant shells and invert on paper towels while preparing the filling.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make the filling: Coarsely chop the reserved eggplant. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and chopped eggplant and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients with the remaining salt. Place the eggplant shells, cut side up, in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Mound the filling in each shell. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoons of oil. Pour water into the pan to a depth of 1/2 inch. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until the edges of the eggplant are tender and the bread crumbs are very lightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

MAMA CHIARELLO'S STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin so that it holds its shape when baked. Chop eggplant that has been scooped out of the inside; place in saucepan, cover with water and boil until very soft, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Salt and pepper the beef. Add the seasoned ground beef to the pan, and saute until all of its liquid is evaporated and the beef begins to brown slightly. Let cool briefly, and chop the cooked beef so that there are no large chunks of meat. In another medium saute pan over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and saute the onion, pepper and garlic together in the oil.
• In a bowl, mix together the cooked eggplant, vegetables, beef, herbs, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs and the egg. Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly between the two halves.
• Top with chopped tomatoes, the remaining 1/4 cup cheese, remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs, and season with salt and pepper. Place on an oiled oven tray or baking dish, and bake for 50 minutes. Let cool briefly; slice widthwise and serve.