2 More Fantastic Recipes Showcasing Eggplant At Its Finest
From the fan mail we've been receiving, it seems you folks can't get enough of our eggplant recipes. It's no surprise as this versatile veggie goes well with pretty much anything you can think of. So just for you, we've drawn up a couple of quick and easy recipes to satisfy your fix!
1. Hasselback Eggplant
You'll Need:
- 1 eggplant
- 3 tbsp basil pesto
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 mozzarella balls
- 3 oz ham
- olive oil
- roasted pine nuts (optional)
Here's How:
1.1 Using 2 wooden spoons placed either side of the vegetable as an aid, cut into the eggplant at equal intervals. The wooden spoons stop you from cutting right through the eggplant. The slices should be about ¼-inch thick.
1.2. Brush the pesto inside each gap in the eggplant.
1.3. Chop the tomato and mozzarella into slices and insert them into the gaps together with the ham. Place the filled eggplant in a casserole dish, pour some olive oil on top and bake at 325°F for 45 minutes.
Garnish the cooked Eggplant Hasselback with basil, parmesan and roasted pine nuts.
2. Greek Eggplant Boats
You'll Need:
- 1 eggplant
- olive oil
- feta
For the filling:
- half a small onion
- 1 small garlic clove
- 4 oz ground meat
- 1 tsp oregano
- pepper
- salt
- 2 oz black olives
- 5 oz sieved tomatoes
For the tzatziki:
- ¼ cucumber
- 3 oz Greek yogurt
- 1 dash lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove
- salt
- pepper
Here's How:
Preparations: There are two ways to prepare this dish. You can either bake the eggplant beforehand for 30 minutes (at 350°F) and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes once filled, or prepare the eggplant raw and bake it for 40 minutes in total at 325°F. We'll be describing the second version in the following.
2.1 Cut an eggplant in half and slice the inside in the form of a checkerboard. Use a spoon to remove the eggplant cubes and heat them with some olive oil in a pan.
2.2 Add the chopped onion and diced garlic to the eggplant cubes and braise. Next, add the ground meat and sear. Season everything with oregano, pepper and salt. Add the black olive and sieved tomatoes before leaving everything to simmer for around 5 minutes.
2.3 Spoon the ground meat into the hollowed-out eggplant halves. Sprinkle feta cheese on top and bake everything at 325°F for 40 minutes.
2.4 In the meantime, you can get to work on the tzaziki. Simply mix all the ingredients together and spoon it onto the baked eggplant before serving.
Eggplant always works at mealtime. Whether filled, fried or baked, this delicious allrounder can be used in so many dishes. Enjoy!
Check out more eggplant recipes here.