Ingredients
4 medium eggplants
For stuffing
Pulp from the eggplants
1 cup home-made (or "plain") breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 pound fresh Italian sausage, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
For frying sausage and eggplant pulp
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the tomato sauce *
1 tablespoon olive oil
about 10 fresh very ripe tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
* Any favorite home-made tomato sauce can be used
For topping
Fresh parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
For the tomato sauce
1. Cut the tomatoes into very small pieces (Peel and remove seeds if desired).
2. Saute the garlic in the olive oil until golden.
3. Add tomatoes, herbs and spices.
4. In a pan cook for about 5 minutes before adding the stuffed eggplants.
For the eggplants
1. Cut the tops of the eggplants (reserve).
2. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise.
3. Scoop out the pulp from the eggplants.
4. Chop up the eggplant pulp.
5. Slice the fresh sausage.
6. Saute the fresh sausage in oil for about 4 minutes.
7. Add the eggplant pulp to the fresh sausage and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Cool.
8. In a large bowl mix the fried eggplant pulp, fresh sausage, with the breadcrumbs, grated cheese, beaten eggs, diced tomato pieces, herbs and spices.
9. Fill the eggplant shells with the mixture.
Cooking the stuffed eggplants
1. Place the stuffed eggplants in the pan with the tomato sauce.
2. Place in an oven-proof dish and bake at 350 F degrees for about 25 minutes.
3. Dot with extra grated cheese and continue baking uncovered for about 5 minutes.
Serving the stuffed eggplants
1. Place in individual bowls.
2. Sprinkle with extra grated cheese and fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
Many recipes from Southern Italy call for the eggplants to be cut in half before stuffing them. In Casacalenda, Molise, few cooks sliced them in half, but this was not the case elsewhere. Prior to World War II most households made their own sausages. So sausages would often be used to flavor various dishes. As no one had fridges back then meats were air-dried to keep from spoiling. Obviously, cooks used fresh sausages in the winter (right after the pig killing) and then used air-dried sausages in the summer time to flavor their dishes. Photo: by the contributor. |
