Stuffed eggplants or malangiani chini are a traditional, simple and tasty dish of Calabrian cuisine and on the tables of the inhabitants of Melissa, in the province of Crotone, they cannot be missing during a Sunday lunch or for a day of celebration. Perfect for an appetizer or as a side dish, they can be enjoyed hot, warm or cold.
Let’s see how they prepare.
Ingredients
4 eggplants
300 gr of minced meat
2 tomatoes
150 gr of mozzarella
30 gr of parmesan
1 egg
1 clove of garlic
basil
bread crumbs
salt
pepper
oil
Process
First we start to wash and cut the eggplants in half, in length, extracting the pulp and putting it aside. We put the eggplants “clean” in an ovenproof dish and in the meantime we sauté a clove of garlic. Add half of the aubergine pulp cut into very small cubes and cook for a couple of minutes. We remove the garlic and add the minced meat making it brown. Now add the diced tomatoes and mix by cooking the meat for a few more minutes, seasoning it with salt and pepper.
With the flame off, add the diced mozzarella, the grated Parmesan, the chopped basil and an egg and mix everything. We will make the aubergines with the filling obtained with the help of a spoon. On the bottom of the baking dish, pour a cup of water and sprinkle the aubergines with the breadcrumbs. Bake them at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes and once ready let them cool before serving them on the table.
Enjoy your meal!
