I love this recipe for stuffed aubergines - you know that your aubergines will be tender, yet tasty. It's really not complicated to make and looks impressive - what's not to like?
Serves 4 people, eating 2 half aubergines each. Note: I find that if someone is also eating a meat dish, they often only have one half aubergine, so you may wish to adjust the quantities according to who is eating at your table.
With regards to timing, it takes 40-45 minutes for the aubergines to bake in the oven once they are stuffed and ready to bake. It takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare the stuffing. I always start preparing the aubergines before cooking the other dishes on the menu for this reason.
Ingredients:
4 aubergines
2 red peppers, chopped into chunks about 1.5 cm across
2 green peppers, chopped into chunks about 1.5 cm across
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped (it's fine to leave their skins on)
1.5 teaspoons of chilli
1.5 teaspoons of grated ginger
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped coriander leaves
salt and black pepper to season
To serve: some homemade tomato sauce or ready made tomato/passata sauce or if you are not cooking for vegans, a tzatziki works well.
You need a hot oven to bake aubergines so that they turn out tender. Heat the oven to 190C, 375F, or gas mark 5.
Cut the aubergines in half lengthways, and remove the flesh. I find the best way to do this is to cut a deep cross in the middle (ie end-to-end and side-to-side), taking care not to cut through the skin below. Then gently scoop out each quarter of flesh using a combination of a knife to get under the flesh and your fingers to lift out the flesh. Keep the aubergine shells on the side.
Then chop the aubergine flesh up finely - first cut long slivers of aubergine, and secondly chop the slivers up finely.
Heat up 2-3 tablespoons of the oil in a frying or sauteuse pan, and gently saute the onions and peppers over a low heat for a few minutes. Add the finely chopped aubergine flesh, chopped tomatoes, garlic, ginger and chilli powder and continue to saute until the mixture is soft, but not browned. Note: you may need to add another tablespoon of oil if the mixture gets dry - or add a tablespoon of water. Check the aubergine is cooked through.
Season to taste, and add the fresh chopped coriander leaves and mix them through.
Brush the base of a roasting dish with a little olive oil. I use a ceramic lasagne type dish which holds the aubergine shells together quite closely.
Divide the mixture between the aubergine shells. Cover with aluminium foil, and bake for 40-45 minutes until tender. Serve with a tablespoon or two of tomato sauce on the side, and a sprinkling of chopped coriander leaves.