How to make
To prepare the eggplants for stuffing, the following technique is applied:
They are washed well without peeling or cutting any of them and are placed on a flat surface - a table top or a large cutting board. Use a rolling pin to pass over them, by applying pressure, but be careful not to crack the peels. Press well with a rolling pin, as if rolling out dough and do that until they soften. This way the inside shrinks, which makes place for the stuffing. Just a great method!
The next step is to split them longitudinally without cutting them all the way through lengthwise, but only in order to have an opening through which to stuff with the stuffing.
The insides of the eggplants are salted and left for 20-30 minutes until you start stuffing them.
Grind the onions, peppers, celery, garlic and 1 tsp (5 grams) of parsley together in a blender.
Put most of it to fry in oil over a moderate heat and the rest pour in the minced meat and mix together with the spices and a little salt. You should get a juicy, soft stuffing (not hard).
Add the tomatoes, a spoonful of sugar and as much salt as you like to the fried vegetable puree and stew it for 3-4 minutes.
During this time, wash and drain the eggplants well from the bitter juice they have released. Squeeze the inside with your fingers until more space opens up and all of the bitterness and liquid is drained.
Fill them with the stuffing and put the whole eggplants in the tomato sauce on the heated hob.
Cover the pan with a lid and leave it for an hour and a half on low heat until they're perfectly cooked. They can be made in an hour on a slightly higher heat, but I made them for 2 hours on the 3rd degree. Do as you like, depending on the time you have.
You can serve the finished dish immediately, sprinkled with freshly chopped parsley or if you want to transfer it into a baking pan, sprinkle the eggplants with yellow cheese and bake them in a heated oven. Wonderful stuffed eggplants!
Delicious!
