Melanzane ripiene | stuffed aubergines (eggplant), i marangèll’ chièn’
Southern Italians have a genuine affinity for aubergines. Grown in almost every Puglia Kitchen garden – most families have large plots of land in the countryside to grow their own produce – melanzane thrives in our climate, making them popular and economical.
For the common people, the aubergine in Italy
But it wasn’t always that way! Imported by the Arabs to Spain and Sicily, aubergine was viewed with suspicion for a very long time. The name in Italian, melanzana, comes from mela insana – the “unsound apple”. Writing in the 16th century Bartolomeo Scappi references the pomo sdegnoso (lowly apple) while in 1557 Andrea Mattioli describes it as a “vulgar plant” customarily eaten by the common people:
Fried in oil with salt and pepper, it is eaten by the masses, in the way that mushrooms are eaten.
~ Mariotti, I discorsi, chap. 78
It wasn’t until the middle of the nineteenth century that writers like Pellegrino Artusi reappraise the aubergine’s merits in the kitchen.
The Puglia Kitchen recipe
Hailing from southern Italy, parmigiana di melanzane (Calabria, Campania, Puglia and Sicily all lay claim to the dish, although parmigiana is now widely enjoyed across Italy) and sweet and sour Sicilian caponata are perhaps the best known aubergine based dishes.
Stuffed aubergine is another extremely popular homemade dish in the Puglia kitchen. Made from the skin of the aubergine, filled with a mixture of the scooped out flesh, minced beef (or pork, or veal, or a mix), eggs, and grated Parmesan.
For a vegetarian version, you can simply omit the meat from the recipe. Alternatively stuff them with the melanzane pulp mixed with our lenticchie contadine (peasant lentils). As is often done, you can ladle some tomato sauce (sugo di pomodoro) over the stuffed melanzane before putting them into the oven.
This dish is usually eaten warm, but left to cool completely it becomes another popular picnic plate we take to the beach!
Serves 4:
- 2 large aubergines
- 300g meat (minced/ground).
- 2 eggs
- 200g Parmesan (or other hard cheese like pecorino)
- 50g bread (stale bread works best)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil
- a bunch of parsley
- breadcrumbs
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparing the aubergine:
Wash the aubergines. Remove the ends and cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh, leaving just the hollowed out skin. Set the flesh aside and fry the aubergine skins in a little oil for a few minutes on both sides, turning them every now and then. Once fried, drain them on paper towels to remove excess oil, and lightly salt them.
Meanwhile, cut the aubergine flesh into small cubes and lightly fry them in the same pan with a little more oil, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper, cook until soft, then set aside in a large bowl. Using the same pan, add a little more oil and cook the minced meat with a clove of garlic, salt, and pepper until browned.
Soak the bread in a little water, squeeze out the excess and break into small pieces.
Filling the aubergine:
In the bowl, combine the diced aubergine, Parmesan, bread, minced meat, the garlic and the parsley chopped very finely, the eggs, a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of pepper. Mix everything until into a smooth mixture: if it is too soft, add a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs.
In the following pictures we are using our lenticchie contadine (peasant lentils) to mix with the aubergine.
Assembling the dish:
Take the aubergine skins and stuff them generously with the prepared filling, pressing down to pack it in tightly. Arrange the stuffed aubergines on a baking tray, placing them closely together to prevent them from breaking open during cooking.
Baking:
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F). Bake for about 35 minutes. Once done, you can serve them up and eat them, though usually they are cooked in advance and left to rest after baking (so they have time to absorb all the flavours) for around 30-45 minutes, covered with parchment paper and towels to keep them warm.
Buon appetito!
