Stuffed eggplants in a frying pan
Origin of the recipe
Stuffed eggplant is a dish that also has a wide variety of variations and is common in various cuisines around the world, particularly Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European. The origins of this dish can be traced to countries where eggplant is a staple vegetable, such as Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, and other countries in the region. In these countries, eggplant is often stuffed with meat, rice, vegetables, and spices. For example, in Greek cuisine, there is a dish called "melitsanos gioftedes," in which eggplant is stuffed with meat and baked with tomato sauce.
What do you need for cooking?
Ingredients
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Eggplants
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Rice flour
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Boiled ham
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Ricotta cheese
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Caciocavallo cheese
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Tomato sauce
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Grated cheese
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Olive oil
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Salt
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Black pepper
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Basil
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Garlic
Kitchen utensils
- Frying pan with a lid
- Knife
- Grater
- Vegetable peeler
Step-by-step recipe
Step 1:
Cut off the tops of the eggplants and peel them.
Step 2:
Cut the eggplants lengthwise into not very thick slices.
Step 3:
Pour some olive oil into the frying pan.
Step 4:
Sprinkle the slices with rice flour on both sides.
Step 5:
Place in batches on the frying pan and fry on both sides until browned.
Step 6:
Place the fried slices on paper towels to remove excess oil and season with salt.
Step 7:
Drizzle some olive oil into a frying pan, add two cloves of garlic, tomato sauce, a sprig of basil, salt and pepper, and simmer over low heat under a lid.
Step 8:
Cut soft caciocavallo cheese into small slices (can be replaced with mozzarella).
Step 9:
Place a very thin slice of ham along the length of each eggplant slice.
Step 10:
Place a little soft ricotta cheese on top of the corner.
Step 11:
Place a piece of soft cheese on top of the cream cheese.
Step 12:
Fold the eggplant slices in half, covering the cheese filling, and press lightly.
Step 13:
Place the folded slices in the sauce in the pan. Spoon a little sauce from the pan onto each slice. Grate some Parmesan cheese over the slices.
Step 14:
Add basil leaves to the sauce and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes.
Step 15:
Place the finished slices on a platter, garnish each with a basil leaf, sprinkle lightly with grated Parmesan and serve.
Cooking tips
When buying eggplants, pay attention to the stems—they shouldn't be dry. Overripe eggplants with developed seeds are not only tasteless but also contain harmful substances.
Eggplants can sometimes taste bitter. To remove the bitterness, sprinkle the slices with coarse salt, let them sit for 30 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly under running water.
For cooking, it is better to use extra virgin olive oil; it is much tastier and healthier than other varieties and does not contain chemical additives.
If you don't have authentic Italian cheeses on hand, no problem. You can use other, more affordable varieties of cream cheese and soft cheeses, such as Hohland cream cheese and mozzarella.
