Easy Baked Aubergine or Eggplant Recipe

INGREDIENTS: (for two people)

2 Small Aubergines or 1 Large Aubergine

2 Medium or Large Tomatoes or 1 Can of Chopped Tomatoes

1 Small Courgette (optional)

1 Small Onion

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

1 or 2 Cloves of Garlic

2 ozs. Grated Cheese

Optional:

Pinch of Salt

Mixed Herbs/Marjoram/Coriander Leaves

1 clove

Fresh or crushed Chilli or Chilli Powder to taste

1 - 2 Tablespoons of breadcrumbs

NB: Precise amounts are not particularly important for this recipe, so you can add more or less or vary the ingredients

: EQUIPMENT -
Stuffed Aubergine:

Medium sized Saucepan

Cheese Grater (or food processor with grater disc)

Tablespoon

Kitchen Knife

Chopping Board

Baking Dish

:

Method for making Baked Stuffed Aubergine
It's so easy
- Cut the Aubergine in half lengthways

- Make criss-cross cuts into the aubergine flesh, being careful not to pierce the skin

- Sprinkle the exposed aubergine flesh liberally with salt and leave for 10 - 30 minutes (this draws out the bitter juice, which will seep to the top)

- Meanwhile peel and chop the onion into fairly small pieces

- Gently fry the onion in a saucepan in a tablespoon of olive oil until golden and translucent

- Add the garlic, finely chopped

- Rinse the aubergines in water, squeezing them to remove the bitter juice, then dig out most of the flesh trying not to cut the skin, and add the flesh to the cooking onions, and put the empty skins into a dish and place in the oven on Gas marked 7 for about 5 minutes.

- Add chopped courgette (optional) to the saucepan

- Chop up the tomatoes into fairly small pieces and add them together with a tablespoonful of water to the onions, and, if you want, add salt
and any other optional flavorings, and continue cooking for about five minutes until the mixture is soft
-Remove the partly-cooked skins from the oven and fill them with the mixture from the saucepan.

sprinkle a tablespoonful of water over the top
and in the dish





- Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top (optional - it works with or without breadcrumbs), and then cover with grated cheese





- Bake the stuffed aubergines in the oven for about 20 minutes and remove when they are lightly browned on top


Image: The final product - partially eaten stuffed aubergine (I forgot to take a photograph until it was too late!)

:
Aubergine is also known as Eggplant, Melongene, Patlican, Brinjal or Guinea Squash, and is called Melanzana in Italian and Greek. Its Botanical name is Solanum melongena and it is closely related to other plants in the solanum family, namely tomato, potato, nightshade and tobacco.

The plant originated in India, and appears to have been brought to the Middle East and Europe in the 15th Century, and there are many popular recipes which use this fleshy fruit-cum-vegetable.

The Eggplant is actually a fruit, which contains numerous small, soft seeds, which are edible, but slightly bitter because they contain nicotinoid alkaloids. The bitter taste can be eradicated by slicing open the aubergine or eggplant and sprinkling it with salt for about half an hour. Don't ask me how or why that works - it just does, and I can tell you that from experience.