Berenjenas Rellenas
Stuffed aubergines, or eggplants, is not a dish that you would often see on a menu in a restaurant in Spain but it is a favourite of many Spanish families. I like to use pork mince but you could just as easily use beef or alternatively make this a vegetarian dish by replacing the mince with lentils.
It is important that you roast the aubergines for long enough as the skins can be very tough if not cooked enough. It also makes it much easier to remove the aubergine flesh from its skin.
Ingredients
Serves 4 people
- 4 aubergines
- 500g minced meat, pork or beef
- 2 medium onions, chopped small
- 1 green pepper, chopped small
- 2 carrots, chopped small
- 4 or 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 300ml Tomato sauce – you can use our tomato sauce recipe or use shop bought sauce. In Spain tomato frito is a good option.
- Grated mozzarella cheese, or whichever cheese you prefer
- Olive oil
- Salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Cooking Method
Preheat the oven to 180C
Wash the aubergines and then slice them in half lengthways. Score the flesh and place them on a baking tray with the skin side down. Pour a little olive oil over them, lightly salt and pepper them and put them in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour until the flesh is tender. Once they are cooked remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool a little.
While the aubergines are roasting and then cooling you should make the stuffing. Start by adding a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to your frying pan and fry the chopped onion, garlic, pepper and carrots on a gentle heat for approximately 10 minutes. Add the mince, a little salt and pepper, stir well and continue frying for another 10 minutes.
Very carefully remove the flesh from each of the aubergines trying not to puncture the skin (don’t worry if you puncture it a little), chop it up, add it to the mince mix and fry gently for another 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, stir well and cook for another 5 or 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and add a little more salt and pepper if necessary.
Now fill the aubergines with this mix. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top and put them under the grill for a few minutes until they are brown on top.