I love eggplants! This is a lighter version of eggplant parmesan. And anything with feta cheese can be considered Greek.
Prep time 30 min +30 min degorging eggplants Cook time 45 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 4-6
- 2 big eggplants
- 450g (1 lb) ground lamb or beef
- handful of dried herbs: oregano, basil, rosemary, mint
- 2 onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 fennel
- 2 celery sticks
- 400g (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
- salt, pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- 200g feta cheese
1. Cut the eggplants into slices and sweat or degorge them: sprinkle salt on the slices, put them in a colander with a weight on for 30 minutes and rinse or wipe them. This takes the bitterness out. Also you need less oil when frying since the eggplant soaks up oil like a sponge.
2. Roast or fry without oil the slices on both sides. Put aside. You can do this step a day before. Just store the roasted slices in the fridge.
3. Fry the ground meat in oil and add the herbs. I used fresh mint because I didn’t have any dry mint . Next time I will try all fresh herbs.
4. Chop the onions, fennel, celery and garlic, cook them in a pan with lots of olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and let simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Assemble your dish in layers: first onion-tomato sauce on the bottom, eggplants, ground meat and crumbled feta. Repeat 2-3 times. On top add the juice from the pan. I didn’t and had to moisten the dish half way through in the oven.
6. Put in a preheated oven at 170° C (340F) for 45 minutes.
7. Serve with good rustic Italian bread.
BUON APPETITO!