Excess Weight Content surpassing 13% by weight
Prepare for a flavourful journey with this Mediterranean-inspired stuffed eggplants recipe. With a variety of ingredients and cooking methods, this dish offers a delightful blend of flavours that will tantalize your taste buds.
Ingredients
- 4 medium eggplants
- 400g ripe tomatoes
- 2 zucchinis
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 onions
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 150g sheep cheese
- 100g pitted black olives
- 5 tbsp native olive oil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 tsp thyme
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- A baking sheet, pan, cutting board, sharp knife, parchment paper, and a bowl
Preparation
- Cut the eggplants lengthwise about two-thirds of the way through, season with salt, and drain for 15 minutes.
- Prepare a vegetable mixture by sautéing onion cubes, adding zucchini, bell pepper, garlic, tomato cubes, and olives, and simmering for five minutes.
- Combine the vegetable mixture with oregano, chopped parsley, pine nuts, and crumbled sheep cheese.
- Brush the eggplants with olive oil and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
- Fill the roasted eggplants generously with the warm vegetable mixture.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve the stuffed eggplants on a wooden platter.
- Coarsely ground black pepper can be sprinkled on the dish for added flavor.
- A drizzle of olive oil can be added to the served dish.
- Warm flatbread can be served alongside the stuffed eggplants.
- A dollop of Greek yogurt can be added to the dish for additional texture.
- Garnish the dish with more fresh parsley.
Alcoholic Accompaniments
A light red wine, such as a chilled young Beaujolais, a fruity Chianti, or a Cotes du Rhone, is a suitable alcoholic accompaniment.
Non-Alcoholic Alternative
A red grape juice on ice can be served as a non-alcoholic alternative.
Variations
This recipe offers a versatile base that can be customized to suit your preferences. Here are some notable Mediterranean-flavored recipe variations:
Greek-style Stuffed Eggplant
This version mimics the flavors of moussaka and yields individual stuffed eggplant boats. It features roasted eggplant halves filled with spiced ground beef (with cinnamon, cloves, oregano) in a rich tomato and red wine sauce, topped with a creamy béchamel sauce made with feta cheese, butter, flour, milk, egg yolk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Turkish Karniyarik
Roasted eggplant halves slashed and stuffed with a mixture of ground meat, onions, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, pine nuts, and a blend of Turkish spices. The dish is baked with a flavorful sauce often infused with pomegranate molasses and garnished with pomegranate arils and flat-leaf parsley for a tangy, sweet, and savory profile.
Moroccan-spiced Eggplant and Tomato Stew
While not a typical "stuffed" eggplant, this variation features roasted cubed eggplant cooked with smoky spices, chickpeas, fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, harissa, and a touch of sweetness from maple syrup or coconut sugar. It highlights North African flavors and can be served over grains or alongside stuffed eggplant dishes.
Vegetarian Levantine Eggplant Fatteh
Layers of smoky roasted eggplant cubes combined with crispy pita chips topped with a tahini-yogurt garlic sauce and drizzled with pomegranate molasses. Though more of a layered salad than stuffed eggplant, it uses Mediterranean flavors common to the region's cuisine and can inspire similar flavor combinations for stuffing.
These variations show how Mediterranean cuisine employs a range of fillings from spiced meats to legumes and vegetables, enriched with ingredients like feta, tahini, pomegranate molasses, pine nuts, and aromatic spices such as cinnamon, cumin, and smoked paprika. The preparation methods typically involve roasting or baking eggplant halves stuffed or topped to hold flavorful mixtures.
This recipe serves 4 servings and takes approximately 75 minutes to prepare. Adding chopped walnuts to the dish will make it creamier and nuttier in flavor. Enjoy your culinary adventure with this Mediterranean-style stuffed eggplants recipe!
- In addition to the Mediterranean-inspired stuffed eggplants recipe, consider experimenting with other regional flavors such as Greek-style stuffed eggplant, Turkish Karniyarik, Moroccan-spiced eggplant and tomato stew, or Vegetarian Levantine eggplant fatteh.
- The delightful blend of flavors in this food-and-drink recipe can be further enhanced with a variety of cooking techniques and lifestyle choices, such as adding chopped walnuts for a creamier, nuttier taste.
- Embrace a Mediterranean-inspired lifestyle by incorporating flavors from home-and-garden recipes into your cooking repertoire, and try out various recipes to find your favorite combinations of food-and-drink ingredients.
