Neapolitan eggplant stew: Bringing Italian flair to your table
Italian cuisine is full of flavour and aroma, yet it embraces simplicity in an admirable way. Just a few ingredients are enough to create a dish that's incredibly versatile, tasty, and at the same time very healthy. Neapolitan vegetable stew should find its way to your home at least once.
9 October 2024 14:29
Eggplants are not particularly popular in Canada, mainly because we do not fully know how to use them in the kitchen. They often end up alongside meat, mushrooms, peppers, and zucchini in a version similar to ratatouille. The true treasure trove of eggplant inspiration is Italian cuisine. One recipe worth trying is the Neapolitan dish, melanzane a funghetto.
Vegetable stew without meat. Italian version with eggplant
Melanzane a funghetto (eggplants like mushrooms), is an Italian dish reminiscent of a vegetable stew. The dish consists of eggplants fried with tomatoes according to the original recipe from Naples (unfortunately, outside Naples, this dish is not particularly known). Fried in olive oil to a golden colour, the eggplants resemble fried mushrooms, hence the dish's name. Melanzane a funghetto can be served as an appetizer, stuffing for sandwiches, pizza, or bruschetta, and also as a sauce for pasta.
Melanzane a funghetto can be prepared in several different ways. In the traditional version, eggplants are fried in deep fat until they become golden brown. However, before that, you should salt them and set them aside for a few moments to remove excess water. This method will also make the bitterness in the eggplant less noticeable. In a slightly healthier version, you just need to chop the eggplants and sauté them in a few tablespoons of olive oil.
Melanzane a funghetto, or Italian vegetable stew. Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 kg eggplants,
- 1 kg cherry tomatoes (or other tomatoes),
- 12 basil leaves,
- 3 cloves of garlic,
- olive oil,
- salt and pepper.
Preparation:
- Wash the tomatoes and eggplants. Cut the tomatoes in half and the eggplants into medium-sized cubes.
- Heat the olive oil, then fry the eggplants until golden brown.
- Line a colander with a paper towel, then transfer the sautéed eggplants onto it to remove excess fat.
- In the same pan, sauté the whole cloves of garlic. After a few seconds, when the garlic aroma begins to release, add the chopped cherry tomatoes.
- Add basil to the tomatoes. Crush the leaves with your hands.
- Sauté everything for 5 minutes over high heat, then add the eggplants.
- Cook everything for an additional 2 minutes.
- Season the dish with salt and pepper.
