stuffed eggplants
Eggplant is a staple in Mediterranean recipes. In the past, I have not always been a fan of ‘mushy’ eggplant but for some reason, I love this dish. The rich tomato sauce is flavored with cumin, oregano, cinnamon and paprika and it pairs beautifully with the eggplant. The longer you leave it, the better it tastes! I love making this dish a day before I eat it. This recipe comes from Ripe Figs by Yasmin Khan. It’s super easy and relatively quick to make.
Enjoy!
Ingredients – Serves 4
4 medium eggplants
Extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil for cooking (or canola oil, or mixture of butter and oil)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
14 ounce/400 g of diced plum tomatoes (1 can)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
Creating the Magic!
Preheat the oven to 375F/190C
Slice the eggplants in half and place in a roasting dish. Using a sharp knife, make 6 deep diagonal cuts into the flesh of each one (3 one way, 3 the other way) without piercing the skin. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a generous grind of black pepper.
Brush the eggplants with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and bake for 30 minutes or until completely soft.
Meanwhile, fry the onions in the canola oil for 20 minutes over low heat, until they have completely softened and browned.
Toast the cumin seeds by placing them in a dry frying pan over medium heat for a few minutes until their aroma is released. Then grind in a mortar and pestle and add to the onions with the garlic, paprika, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Fry for a few minutes before stirring in the tomatoes, sugar and oregano. Simmer for 15 minutes, then add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and the parsley and cook for a final 5 minutes.
When the eggplants are done, take the roasting dish out of the oven and, using a fork, mash the center of their flesh to create a well. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Then spoon on the tomato sauce, filling their centers and dotting any remaining sauce around. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes, removing the foil for the final 10 minutes.
To serve, let the eggplants come to room temperature, sprinkle with some finely chopped parsley and yes, a few more glugs of olive oil .