Sicilian Baked Eggplants with Capers & Tomatoes
Introduction
The aromas given off as this dish cooks propel me right into the heart of my late Italian mother-in-law Mamma Rosa’s kitchen. All the ingredients grow in abundance in the hot Sicilian sun and are loaded with flavour. I’ve done a little cheat and used canned cherry tomatoes, and the result is amazing (use Italian canned tomatoes of course). Serve as a vegetarian main course with salads and bread or as part of a long lunch or cut into chunks and serve with other antipasti dishes.
Serves: 4-8
Ingredients
4 x 190g (6-7 oz) small-medium eggplants (aubergines)
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup Italian, canned cherry tomatoes (I use Mutti brand)
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 Tbsp capers, drained and chopped
2 Tbsp chopped basil
3 Tbsp dried breadcrumbs or panko crumbs
Method
1 Preheat oven to 180°C (375°F). Trim eggplants and cut in half lengthwise. Score the cut surfaces with a sharp knife. Transfer to a large, shallow ovenproof dish lined with baking (parchment) paper. Sprinkle with salt and grind over black pepper to taste.
2 In a small bowl, mix tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, capers and basil. Spread mixture on eggplant halves, then sprinkle with crumbs. Turn over eggplant halves so they are crumb down in the dish.
3 Cook for 30 minutes, then carefully turn them over with a metal spatula (if the topping gets a little messy, just stick it back on!). Cook for a further 10-12 minutes or until very tender.
Recipe Notes
Choose a large roasting tin as you need plenty of room to turn the eggplant halves over after the initial cooking. Keep an eye on the temperature — a little bit of charring around the edges adds flavour, but don’t let the topping burn.
You might find it hard to resist eating the eggplant as soon as they come out of the oven, but they are equally as good the day after making — that means, they make a great prepare-ahead dish.
