June finally brings summer with it and among the vegetables that best represent this season there are certainly aubergines: purple, striped, white, long or round; their great variety and their unmistakable taste make them essential ingredients in the kitchen. Let’s find out more about them and the eggplant recipes we thought about preparing this month!
Aubergines are part of the nightshade family, the same family to which tomatoes, peppers and potatoes also belong. Aubergines represent a real custom in Italy, in fact we find them in the most famous typical dishes of our tradition, as in the case of pasta alla norma, in caponata in parmigiana, for the preparation of preserves, sauces or simply sautéed in a pan. Fried, grilled or baked, aubergines are therefore able to adapt to many dishes, creating a vast repertoire of possible recipes.
Before being cooked the aubergines require a preliminary phase, the so-called “salting”, this step serves to drain the water contained in them, to make them softer and to reduce the amount of “solanine”, a toxic substance that is eliminated through cooking, for this reason it is best not to eat them raw!
If you like aubergines you should try this Stuffed Aubergines recipe with feta, tomatoes and garlic: an excellent combination, everyone will love it! Baked stuffed aubergine boats are one of the healthy vegetarian ideas to share with family and friends. You can serve them as a main course or as a snack, you can replace the feta with mozzarella or other favorite cheese.
STUFFED AUBERGINES
Ingredients:
2 large aubergines
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
6 cherry tomatoes SiPomodoro
1 bunch parsley
200 g breadcrumbs
125 g of feta or mozzarella
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 C.
Cut the aubergines in half lengthwise. Empty the center of the aubergines to make the shells and leave them aside. Chop the onion, garlic and fry In a pan with a teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, add the chopped aubergines and cook another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper, chopped parsley and chopped SiPomodoro then remove the pan from the heat. Once the preparation has cooled, add the breadcrumbs and the Feta cut into cubes (or mozzarella), mix everything until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Arrange the aubergine boats on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkled with olive oil, stuff them with the prepared mixture, distributing it evenly, then bake for about 40 minutes until the aubergines are tender and golden. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and freshly chopped parsley.
Source: Donnalucata Cooking Journey
