I discovered a delectable recipe for stuffed eggplants in an old Provençal cookbook I bought in Italy years ago. At that time, I never supposed that I would end up living in Provence and becoming a cook.
It's one of the best eggplant dishes out there, and I'm sure you'll love it too. While it does take some careful timing, it's perfect for your summer gatherings.
Ingredients for 4 servings
2 eggplants of about 250 gr each (it’s a medium size eggplant)
3 tomatoes variety Roma or similar in shape, which is ovoid
100 grams of sweet onion or spring onion finely chopped
6 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano
4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
A bunch of basil
Good quality flaky sea salt, cayenne ground pepper, black pepper
1 teaspoon of table salt
Directions
Preheat the oven at 180° /375F
Wash the eggplants, tomatoes and basil.
Cut the whole eggplant into two with a sharp knife, then engrave diagonally to obtain a grid using the tip of the knife. Cut a thin slice of eggplant from the bottom so that it can stay upright. Sprinkle with the table salt and let rest for 1 hour, so they release their water and also and also the solanine and bitterness.
Finely slice 1 tomato and see if the slices are enough to cover the eggplants, eventually cutting some more from another. Lay the slices on a plate and sprinkle with sea salt. Peel and chop the remaining tomatoes.
Pour a tablespoon of oil into a saucepan, add the chopped onion, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and cook on low heat till soft, about 5 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat, then turn off. Add another pinch of salt, a handful of shredded basil leaves, some cayenne pepper ( depending on how spicy you like), and freshly ground pepper. Taste.
Rinse the eggplants and squeeze them lightly, put them onto a baking tray, and brush them on both sides with two tablespoons of oil. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes, till soft. It might take a bit longer, depending on the oven.
When eggplants are soft, spread the cooked tomatoes on top of each, levelling. Keep one tablespoon of Parmigiano aside and spread the rest over the tomatoes, then the slices of raw tomato, starting from the stalk. Insert basil leaves in between the tomato slices, sprinkle with Parmigiano, and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
Put again in the oven and cook for another 15/20 minutes. Top with some more fresh basil before serving.
Tips
Choose eggplants that are soft and shining with a green stalk. These are the signs of a freshly picked eggplant.
Cut the tomatoes into very thin slices. They’ll look beautiful and cook better.
