Just a few ingredients to create a dish that can be served both as a side and a main course, these are the fantasy stuffed eggplant boats. Why did I call them fantasy? Because I only had 3 ingredients in the fridge and I used my imagination to assemble a recipe that would please both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The fantasy stuffed eggplant boats are very tasty and have a delightful aroma. They are super easy, cooked on the stove, and can be on the table in just 35 minutes. They can be enjoyed both cold and hot. I used striped eggplants because they are the most suitable for this preparation, as they are firm, meaty, and release very little vegetation water.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 6 boats
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
Ingredients
- 3 Striped eggplants (small)
- 30 Cherry tomatoes
- to taste Grated Grana Padano
- to taste Basil
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 pinch Turmeric powder
- 1 pinch Freshly ground pepper
Preparation
Wash the cherry tomatoes, remove the stems, place them in a bowl, and cut them into small pieces. Add 3 heaping tablespoons of grated cheese, fine salt, extra-virgin olive oil, finely chopped basil, turmeric, and freshly ground pepper, mix very well, and let it rest while we prepare the eggplants.
Wash the eggplants and cut them in half (leave the stems because they will help us transfer the boats to individual plates after cooking). With the help of a spoon, scoop out all the flesh, obtaining 6 “containers.” The eggplant flesh can be used to make delicious recipes like a first course or a second course.
Gently score the inside of our “containers” with a knife, drizzle them with a little extra-virgin olive oil, a bit of grated cheese, and fill them with the cherry tomato salad we prepared earlier, including the liquid, which will further flavor our fantasy stuffed eggplant boats.
In a very large and high-sided pan, pour 1 and a half glasses of water, place the eggplant boats, cover, and let them cook over a medium flame on the small burner for about 20/25 minutes or until the boats are soft when pierced with a fork. If the water evaporates too much, we can add a little more during cooking.
Gently transfer them to individual plates with a steel or wooden spatula.
Extra idea. We can add diced prosciutto, speck, or cooked ham to the filling, making our fantasy stuffed eggplants even more succulent.
