Eggplants are one of the hits of the autumn harvest. The versatile vegetable can be fried, stewed, pickled, baked, or prepared for winter as eggplant caviar.
To make a simple and tasty snack, try preparing eggplant boats. Here are five step-by-step recipes for stuffing them.
When preparing the boats, choose young eggplants without spots or dents. Because plants in the nightshade family contain the organic compound solanine, eggplants can sometimes be bitter. To remove the bitterness, sprinkle the cut halves with salt and wash them under running water after a few minutes.
Rich in fibre, B vitamins, vitamin C and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, manganese and copper, the vegetable helps lower cholesterol, prevents plaques and improves intestinal peristalsis. The potassium salts help fight swelling, while the anthocyanins in the purple skin and chlorogenic acid protect cells from damage and benefit the cardiovascular system.
However, eggplants are not recommended for people with joint problems such as arthritis and arthrosis, allergic reactions, or stomach and duodenal ulcers and worsening gastritis.
Turkish-style meat eggplant boats
Chef Vasily Emelianenko suggests making karniyarik. The dish's name translates from Turkish as split belly, which illustrates exactly how to cut the eggplant.
The chef said the texture of the eggplant should be slightly dried out and not overly moist.
For this recipe, you will need two eggplants, 100 millilitres of vegetable oil, three large garlic cloves, 200 grams of minced lamb, one onion, a bunch of parsley, one hot red pepper, two heaped teaspoons of tomato paste, 10 millilitres of water, one tomato, one green hot pepper, half a teaspoon of dried basil, three green onion stalks, and salt and black pepper to taste.
Cut the eggplants lengthwise and fry them in a pan with oil on all sides. Remove them and place them in a baking dish.
Finely chop the three garlic cloves, parsley stalks, onion and hot red pepper while the eggplants fry.
Add a little more oil to the pan and fry the onion and parsley stalks, then add the minced meat. Fry on a high heat so the meat browns immediately and does not release much juice. Add the black pepper, salt and basil, and continue frying until the juice evaporates.
Reduce the heat, add the chopped red hot pepper, garlic and parsley leaves to the meat, and fry for another three minutes.
Stuff the eggplants with the meat. Any leftover meat can be placed next to the eggplants in the baking dish.
Warm the tomato paste in the pan with a small amount of water, then pour this sauce over the eggplants. Top the stuffed eggplants with thinly sliced tomato rounds and pieces of green pepper cut lengthwise.
Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped green onion before serving.
Eggplant boats with Adyghe cheese
This recipe calls for one eggplant, one bell pepper, 30 grams of corn oil, one tomato, two or three sprigs of parsley, 60 grams of Adyghe cheese, two garlic cloves, a sprig of basil, half a red onion, two or three green onion stalks, and salt and pepper to taste.
Wash the eggplant and cut it in half. Make crisscross incisions on the cut surface, sprinkle with salt and leave for 10 minutes. Rub the halves together so the salt absorbs, then wash under running water to remove any bitterness and dry.
Place the halves on a baking sheet, pour over the corn oil and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
Finely chop the red onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomato and green onion. Place the vegetables in a deep plate with salt, pepper and half of the grated cheese.
Remove the eggplants from the oven, let them cool and scoop out the flesh. Chop the flesh with a knife, add it to the vegetable base and mix.
Place the eggplant boats back on the baking sheet, fill with the vegetable mixture and top with pieces of cheese. Bake for five minutes at 180 degrees Celsius and serve hot.
Vegetable and rice filling
For a vegetarian option, use two eggplants, one tomato, one yellow bell pepper, one carrot, 200 grams of champignons, one cup of boiled rice, two tablespoons of vegetable oil, one garlic clove, three sprigs of dill, three sprigs of parsley, and salt and pepper.
Wash and dry the eggplants, then cut them in half and carefully remove the flesh without damaging the walls. Salt the inside, leave for 15 minutes, and rinse with cold water.
Boil the rice until half cooked. Peel and dice the carrot. Dice the firm tomato and the mushrooms. Remove the seeds and stalk from the pepper and dice it. Finely chop the garlic and herbs.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the carrots for four to five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the mushrooms, pepper and tomato, and fry for another five minutes. Stir in half of the chopped herbs.
Mix the vegetable filling with the rice and stuff the eggplant boats.
Place the boats on a parchment-lined baking sheet greased with oil. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the remaining herbs.
Other fillings often feature vegetables, cereals, mushrooms or minced meat paired with cheese, which can be pre-fried or baked for a richer flavour. Fish fillings are less common.
Meat options include chopped chicken fillet with onion, carrot, bell pepper, melted and hard cheese and spices. Minced pork, beef or a mixture of the two can be prepared with onion, tomatoes, garlic and hard cheese. Minced lamb can be paired with onion, garlic, mint, cilantro, cumin and pine nuts.
Vegetable fillings include couscous with tomatoes and greens, tomatoes with garlic, hard cheese and Italian herbs, or champignons with onion and hard cheese, as well as lentils with spices.
Fish fillings can be made with canned tuna, sweet pepper and spices. Eggplants pair well with paprika, Italian herbs, basil, mint, cilantro, garlic and hot pepper. The boats can be served with sour cream or yoghurt sauces.
Tuna and vegetable boats
You will need two eggplants, one tomato, 185 grams of canned tuna, two tablespoons of vegetable oil, two garlic cloves, 150 grams of hard cheese, a bunch of parsley, and salt and pepper.
Wash the eggplants, cut them lengthwise and carefully remove the flesh. Dice the flesh, tomato and onion. Chop the parsley and garlic, and coarsely grate the cheese.
Fry the onion in hot oil until golden, then add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds on high heat. Add the eggplant flesh, salt and pepper, and continue frying and stirring.
After one minute, add the tomatoes, fry for 30 seconds, then stir in the tuna and greens.
Fill the boats with the mixture and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 180 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley to serve.
Cheese and olive boats
This Mediterranean-inspired recipe uses two eggplants, 200 grams of cherry tomatoes, 80 grams of semi-hard cheese, four tablespoons of olive oil, three garlic cloves, 16 olives, 100 grams of ricotta or curd cheese, three sprigs of parsley, salt and dried basil.
Wash the eggplants, cut them lengthwise and make shallow cuts in the flesh. Sprinkle with salt and dried basil, and brush with olive oil. Bake on a baking sheet at 200 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
Halve the cherry tomatoes and crush the garlic. Fry them in heated olive oil with salt and dried basil over medium heat for five minutes. Simmer on low heat under a lid for another five minutes.
Remove the eggplants from the oven and carefully mash the flesh with a fork, avoiding the skin. Top with the fried tomatoes and garlic, curd cheese and olives.
Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake at 190 degrees Celsius for seven to 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot or cold.
