Melanzane al Forno con Ciliegini, Erbe Miste & Scamorza Affumicata
Baked Eggplant with Cherry Tomatoes, Mixed Herbs & Smoked Scamorza Cheese
It was too big for me to eat all by myself, but too beautiful for me to resist... so I decided to do somethings simple, but to make the very most of it and to make it as delicious as possible. Well, mission accomplished, I'd say!
And the best part... I still have other half to look forward to, to make something else delicious later in the week! Hehe!
Using a few herbs and some cherry tomatoes , a little smoked Scamorza cheese and a bit of ingenuity, I transformed these wedges of relatively neutral eggplant into something rich and delicious- yet light and healthy! No frying, no excess fat, just the right amount of olive oil to give great texture and flavor and a nice change from the usual preparations... and still traditional and Mediterranean tasting- yep! This was a good idea I had, I must say!
Should you want to try this out, all you will need is an eggplant, some thyme, mint and parsley, Spring onions, cherry tomatoes and a little cheese... Again- this is not a recipe where you need exact measures! All you need to see is the method and you will be fine. And as for the cheese- any that you prefer will be fine- just be wary of salty cheeses like Parmesan, Grana Padano, Feta or suchlikes and be careful when seasoning. Otherwise... just have fun with it!
It's true- this did take quite a while to cook at a little over an hour- but for me, it was well worth the wait, as the result was so flavorful and as I mentioned, it was so light tasting and delicious!
Plus- once you have done your prep-work, you can just push it into the oven and relax and let it take care of itself!
I cut my half eggplant into 3 wedges- of course, it all depends on the size of the eggplant you have- but I will leave that up to your better judgement!
Then, make lots of cuts all down the length of the eggplant wedges, going nice and deep but being careful to not cut through the peel. Sprinkle a little salt into those cuts to make sure the eggplant gets nicely seasoned and also that it loses some of its bitterness.
Cut the cheese into thin slices, chop the Spring onions and herbs up finely, cut the cherry tomatoes in half... and then have some fun!
Start off by sprinkling some of the herbs and onion into those slits and then slide in just a small slice of cheese into each. Lay the tomatoes all around and also cover in plenty of herbs, onion, salt and pepper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add enough water into the baking dish to cover the tomatoes about halfway, then cover tightly with foil and pop into a hot oven, at 180°C, to steam/bake for 45-50 minutes.
After around 50 minutes, the eggplant and tomatoes will be basically cooked, the cheese will be nicely melted and most of the water will have evaporated away.
Turn up the heat to maximum and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes until it is lovely and golden brown... and serve as soon as you cant resist to any longer!
This would make a great side to a meat or chicken dish... or alternatively, be a great light meal in itself with a little fresh bread to go with it. Whichever way you enjoy it- the main thing is that you hopefully DO enjoy it! And of course there is only one way to find out... so get into the kitchen!
I think life is to short to not go out there and try something new- especially in the kitchen! What beats having little edible adventures, after all? Don't dream it... eat it!
Buon Appetito!
Baked Eggplant with Cherry Tomatoes, Mixed Herbs & Smoked Scamorza Cheese
It was too big for me to eat all by myself, but too beautiful for me to resist... so I decided to do somethings simple, but to make the very most of it and to make it as delicious as possible. Well, mission accomplished, I'd say!
And the best part... I still have other half to look forward to, to make something else delicious later in the week! Hehe!
Using a few herbs and some cherry tomatoes , a little smoked Scamorza cheese and a bit of ingenuity, I transformed these wedges of relatively neutral eggplant into something rich and delicious- yet light and healthy! No frying, no excess fat, just the right amount of olive oil to give great texture and flavor and a nice change from the usual preparations... and still traditional and Mediterranean tasting- yep! This was a good idea I had, I must say!
Should you want to try this out, all you will need is an eggplant, some thyme, mint and parsley, Spring onions, cherry tomatoes and a little cheese... Again- this is not a recipe where you need exact measures! All you need to see is the method and you will be fine. And as for the cheese- any that you prefer will be fine- just be wary of salty cheeses like Parmesan, Grana Padano, Feta or suchlikes and be careful when seasoning. Otherwise... just have fun with it!
It's true- this did take quite a while to cook at a little over an hour- but for me, it was well worth the wait, as the result was so flavorful and as I mentioned, it was so light tasting and delicious!
Plus- once you have done your prep-work, you can just push it into the oven and relax and let it take care of itself!
I cut my half eggplant into 3 wedges- of course, it all depends on the size of the eggplant you have- but I will leave that up to your better judgement!
Then, make lots of cuts all down the length of the eggplant wedges, going nice and deep but being careful to not cut through the peel. Sprinkle a little salt into those cuts to make sure the eggplant gets nicely seasoned and also that it loses some of its bitterness.
Cut the cheese into thin slices, chop the Spring onions and herbs up finely, cut the cherry tomatoes in half... and then have some fun!
Start off by sprinkling some of the herbs and onion into those slits and then slide in just a small slice of cheese into each. Lay the tomatoes all around and also cover in plenty of herbs, onion, salt and pepper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add enough water into the baking dish to cover the tomatoes about halfway, then cover tightly with foil and pop into a hot oven, at 180°C, to steam/bake for 45-50 minutes.
After around 50 minutes, the eggplant and tomatoes will be basically cooked, the cheese will be nicely melted and most of the water will have evaporated away.
Turn up the heat to maximum and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes until it is lovely and golden brown... and serve as soon as you cant resist to any longer!
This would make a great side to a meat or chicken dish... or alternatively, be a great light meal in itself with a little fresh bread to go with it. Whichever way you enjoy it- the main thing is that you hopefully DO enjoy it! And of course there is only one way to find out... so get into the kitchen!
I think life is to short to not go out there and try something new- especially in the kitchen! What beats having little edible adventures, after all? Don't dream it... eat it!
Buon Appetito!
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