This dish is simply delicious! I had it for lunch and dinner today. Serve it with a salad and your meal is complete. Thanks for sharing this great recipe with me, Chef George, from Santorini!
Ingredients:
Eggplant (quantity to be determined by how much you wish to serve per person)
Aged parmesan
Extra virgin olive oil
2-3 medium-sized tomatoes
1 bermuda or red onion
1 yellow onion
3-4 cloves garlic
Tomato paste (Santorini tomato paste, to be authentic)
Small basil leaves
Italian parsley
Cinnamon
Mace
Preparation:
Slice and halve the onions, and soak in ice water over night. Change the water three times for maximum benefit. This removes the potential for stomach upset from the onions. Drain thoroughly, when done, and set aside.
Skin the tomatoes (after dropping them in boiling water for 30 seconds the skin will easily come off) and then either 1) grate them using a metal cheese grater to remove all water and seeds or 2) squeeze the tomatoes by hand to remove all water and seeds. Set aside.
Halve the eggplants, leaving the halves face up on a metal baking sheet. Or, use large-sized eggplants and slice them into 3/4″ thick slices. Leave the skin on the eggplant. Brush with extra virgin olive oil and broil for about 5 minutes. (Be sure not to burn it!). Allow eggplant to cool to room temperature.
Slice the garlic, removing the inner green part (which gives you the unpleasant smell of the garlic and set aside).
Instructions:
1. Saute the onions slowly in olive oil until they are soft, which may take 15 minutes.
2. Add garlic right before the onions are fully sautéed.
3. Add tomatoes and tomato paste to the onions and garlic, adding tomato paste to give you the desired sauce thickness. (You want the resulting sauce to be somewhat thick so it stands up and is not running when you put it on your eggplant). Saute for an hour to an hour and a half at a low temperature.
4. When the sauce is ready, add pieces of small-leaved basil, Italian parsley, and pinches of cinnamon and mace.
5. With the eggplant at room temperature, add some coarsely grated parmesan into each eggplant.
6. Spoon out the tomato mixture and place it in or on each eggplant half.
7. Place stuffed eggplants into the oven at 325 degrees. The length of time for cooking will be dependent upon the size of the eggplant, and could range from 30 minutes for a slender eggplant variety to forty-five minutes for a larger eggplant variety.
8. When the eggplant is finished, remove from the oven and add coarsely grated parmesan to the top. You can either let it melt on top or broil to brown the cheese.
Enjoy!
