Who of you doesn’t love eggplants? I believe very few of you will raise your hand! In my opinion they are among the most versatile vegetables in the kitchen and also they have an exquisite taste. Parmigiana, Caponata, Pasta alla Norma are some of the most famous Italian dishes in which they are present. I could eat them every day during the summer. In Sicily we also love to cook stuffed aubergines, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of the typical “milinciani ammuttunati”, or stuffed eggplants. The recipe that I propose includes the use of baby aubergines: they are small and delicate and their skin is very thin. For this reason they should be cooked whole. Then put them in a creamy confit tomato purée, but in this case, take a big piece of homemade bread. Why?! Because the Italian “scarpetta”, even if not considered chic, is a must!
Serves: 4
For stuffed aubergines:
- 8 baby aubergines
- 8 anchovy fillets in oil
- Flaked caciocavallo
- 1 peeled and chopped garlic clove
- Basil leaves
- Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
For the confit tomatoes purée:
- 400 grams cherry tomatoes
- 2 peeled and chopped garlic cloves
- Basil
- Dried oregano
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Caster sugar
For caciocavallo tuilles:
- 100 grams grated caciocavallo cheese
Method
Wash and divide the tomatoes into two, remove the petiole and seeds and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Season with oil, salt, sugar, garlic and herbs, cook at 160° Celsius degrees for about 1 hour. After let them cool and blend them with a mixer until a puree is done. Pass the latter through a sieve and set aside.
Wash and cut the aubergines sideways, then sprinkle with salt and let them drain for about 30 minutes. Rinse well, dry and fill them with cheese shavings, small pieces of anchovy, a little garlic and some basil. Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, season with oil and pepper and cook in a preheated oven at 180 ° Celsius degrees until they are tender.
Place some irregularly shaped of grated caciocavallo cheese on a non-stick pan. Cook at 180° Celsius degrees until the cheese melts and becomes golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool.
Plating
Pour the tomato puree on a deep dish, lay two stuffed aubergines on top and decorate with a caciocavallo tuille and some fresh basil leaves.