Melanzane a Beccafico | Methods to Make Sicilian Stuffed Eggplants

This dish is a variation on “Sarde a Beccafico,” a scrumptious Sicilian recipe made with contemporary sardines. Not all of us are fortunate sufficient to have contemporary sardines accessible, however fortunately Sicilians additionally invented this model which makes use of eggplants as an alternative. It’s a straightforward and extremely scrumptious vegetable aspect that’s positive to impress!

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MELANZANE A BECCAFICO RECIPE

For this recipe, you will have:

• 1 giant eggplant, sliced into skinny rounds

• 2 cups (260 g) plain, dry bread crumbs

• 2-3 tablespoons (7-10g) chopped parsley

• 3.5 ounces (100 g) grated caciocavallo cheese, or to style (substitute with a really sharp cheddar or pecorino if vital)

• ~½ giant white onion, minimize into roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm) large wedges

• Bay leaves (ideally contemporary however dry will work as nicely)

Preheat the oven to 385°F (195°C). Place the raisins in a small bowl or cup and fill with water to cowl. Allow them to soak whilst you put together the eggplants and filling.

Prepare the eggplant slices on a parchment-lined baking tray in order that they don’t overlap. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Bake for quarter-hour, or till they’ve softened barely and are starting to wrinkle.

Whereas the eggplant bakes, put together the bread crumb filling. In a mixing bowl, mix the bread crumbs, chopped parsley, minced garlic, grated cheese, and pine nuts. Drain the raisins, squeeze the surplus water out, and add these as nicely. Combine totally and season to style with salt and black pepper. Lastly, stir in simply sufficient olive oil to frivolously moisten the bread crumbs (about 2-3 tablespoons, however regulate to style).

When the eggplant is cooked, let the slices cool to the contact. Grease the underside of a 9-inch (23 cm) pie dish with olive oil and preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).

Take an eggplant slice and spoon about 1 tablespoon of the bread crumb filling into the middle. Roll the slice up (like a carpet) to surround the filling and place the stuffed roll into the pie dish. Repeat with the remaining slices till the dish is stuffed with a single layer of rolls.

Separate the onion wedge layers and insert a single piece in between every eggplant roll. Do the identical with bay leaves (you may break the leaves into smaller items, if vital). Use the remaining bread crumb filling to generously sprinkle the highest of the dish to cowl the rolls. Drizzle the highest with olive oil.

Bake the dish for 15-20 minutes, till the bread crumbs are crispy and golden. Serve heat or at room temperature.