2 10 ounce Italian eggplants, or 1 eggplant of equivalent weight
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch cayenne pepper
2 plum tomatoes cored, seeded and chopped medium
1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated - 1/2 cup
2 tablespoons toasted pinenuts
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced, fresh parsley
Directions
1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lowest positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the eggplant/s lengthwise and brush the cut sides with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay the eggplant cut side down on the hot baking sheet and carefully cover with foil. (I put the eggplant halves on cold baking sheet and covered with foil and it worked just fine.) Roast until eggplant is golden brown and tender - 45 to 55 minutes. (To look you have to mess up the foil, so I just put it in for about 55 minutes and it was fine.) Carefully transfer the eggplant to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and let drain. (I didn't do this either and it was just fine.) Remember this is a Test Kitchen Recipe and they are picky.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook until softened and browned, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, cinnamon, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, 1/4 cup of the Pecorino, pine nuts and vinegar and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
4. Return the roasted eggplant, cut-side up, to the rimmed baking sheet. (I just flipped the eggplant halves over and wiped the excess juice out of the way. It was fine. I didn't use the paper towel plan.)Use two forks to gently push apart the flesh of the eggplant halves to make room for the filling. Mound half of the filling into each half of the eggplant.
5. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of Pecorino and continue to bake on the upper-middle rack until the cheese is melted, 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. I left out all the cheese and it was wonderful anyway.
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