T.The eggplant is mysterious until it is put in the oven. Various food authors have argued over time over whether it should be salted to get rid of bitterness (it shouldn’t) and whether or not it needs to be soaked in oil to cook, but when it is cooked in the oven, there is only one That’s how the eggplant will go, and that’s creamy – and that’s why a baked eggplant is just as popular in my house as a jacket potato. The only thing that is up for debate is what to stuff it with. Here I used walnuts and peppers loosely inspired by the Levantine dip Muhammara.
Eggplants stuffed with walnuts
I (finally) switched to reusable silicone baking foil which works great. There’s a lot of (potentially therapeutic) chopping with this dish. Get out your best knife and run your knife back and forth over pepper and walnuts until they are very finely chopped.
Prep 25 min
cook 50 min
Served 2 (or 4 as part of a larger spread)
2 large eggplantscut in half lengthways
olive oil
1 large brown onionpeeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlicpeeled and finely chopped
100 g peeled walnutsfinely chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
300 g paprika (drained weight), finely chopped
1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
50 g breadcrumbs
Lettuce, serve
Preheat the oven to 220 ° C (200 ° C fan) / 425 ° F / Gas 7 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the meat side of the aubergine halves criss-cross and brush both sides with oil. Lie down on the tray with the meat side down and bake for 25 minutes until the meat is tender. Then remove it (but leave the oven on).
While the eggplants are baking, make the filling. Heat four tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium heat. When it’s hot, stir-fry the onion for about 10 minutes until it’s soft, golden, and translucent. Then add the garlic and walnuts and sauté for three to five minutes until fragrant.
Stir in tomato paste and chopped peppers, fry for three minutes, then add cinnamon, cumin, paprika and salt and fry for another three minutes. Add the breadcrumbs and cook for a few minutes, stirring. Then hydrate them with about eight tablespoons (120 ml) of water and remove the heat.
Spread the onion mixture on the eggplant halves, wrap them in the meat pieces, then return to the oven for 20 minutes until the top of the mixture begins to get caught and brown. Serve with a tangy, leafy salad.