Stuffed Aubergine

Few things are as comforting and utterly delicious as stuffed aubergines, or as they’re fondly called in Greece, melitzanes papoutsakia— which rather charmingly translates to little aubergine slippers. This dish is a true Cretan classic, bursting with rich, sun-ripened tomatoes, fragrant herbs, and tender, melt-in-the-mouth aubergines.

Whether you enjoy them stuffed with hearty minced meat or prefer a vegetarian twist with pulses and feta, the result is always packed with Mediterranean goodness. Baked to perfection and drizzled with golden Cretan olive oil, it’s the kind of dish that fills your kitchen with the scent of warm summer evenings on a Greek island. So, ready to bring a taste of Crete to your table? Let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
2 medium aubergines (eggplant)
150g minced beef
50g Parmesan or other hard cheese
10/12 pitted black olives sliced
2 garlic cloves
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
salt, pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake the whole aubergines for 12-15 minutes according to size, till softened.
Once the aubergines are cool, cut each in half horizontally.
With a small sharp knife scoop out the flesh, leaving a shell about 5mm (¼in) thick. Chop the aubergine flesh scooped from the centre.
Crush one of the cloves lightly and chop the other very finely. Place the crushed garlic clove in a frying pan with the olive oil and warm gently on low heat.
Discard the garlic clove, add the mince beef, turn up the heat and brown well.
Add the tomatoes, aubergine, oregano and the minced garlic clove, season and simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes or till well-reduced.
Add a little water if needed to keep the mixture simmering. While it simmers, grate the cheese and slice the olives finely.
Fill the aubergine shells with the mixture and place on top the olives and grated cheese.
Place in a lightly-oiled baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at about 180°C.