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Melanzane a Scarpone
Recipe by Aldo Ortado
Meaning boot-shaped aubergines, this dish from Naples is simple yet scrumptious.
- Steps
- Ingredients
Steps
- Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil then remove from the heat.
- For the Ricotta, place the milk into a small saucepan over medium heat. When just below boiling point, add vinegar and stir gently for 20 seconds. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and set aside for 15 minutes. Pour through a lined sieve and discard the whey. Place the sieve over a deep bowl and place in the fridge to further strain and cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Gently squeeze the ricotta to remove liquid then place into a small food processor. Process until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of the cream at a time and process until well combined. Season with salt then transfer to a piping bag. Set aside in the fridge.
- For the Eggplant, cut each eggplant in half lengthwise and scoop out the centres. Immediately place eggplants and flesh into the salted water for 3-4 seconds then remove from the water and drain on paper towel. Pat with extra paper towel to ensure eggplants and flesh are dry.
- Heat oil in a deep saucepan or deep fryer to 170°C.
- Add the eggplant and flesh and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the oil and place onto paper towel until cool. Reserve oil for later use.
- Combine the vincotto and verjuice in a small bowl. Brush the eggplant with the mixture and sprinkle with thyme leaves and season well with salt. Bake for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until eggplant is tender and browned. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while preparing the filling.
- For the Eggplant Filling, heat reserved oil to 180°C.
- Add the capers and fry until crispy, about 1 minute. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towel.
- Trim the stem and base from the eggplant. Cut away the skin and dice the flesh into 4mm cubes. Add to the oil and fry until golden and soft, no more than 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towel to drain then place into a bowl. Add chopped fried eggplant centres, parsley, fried capers, paprika and salt. Dice prunes to the same size as the fried eggplant and roughly chop the pistachios. Combine with the eggplant by hand. Season with salt to taste and set aside.
- For the Salsa Verde, using a mortar and pestle, pound the parsley then add half of the olive oil and verjuice. Continue to mix until emulsified. Add remaining verjuice and salt then add remaining olive oil, a little at a time, until combined to the consistency of pouring cream. Transfer to a small serving bowl.
- To serve, pipe a 1cm thick layer of ricotta into the cavity of each eggplant shell. Spoon in the filling in a generous pile. Place onto a serving plate and serve with the salsa verde on the side.
