Vegetarian stuffed eggplant

To prepare vegetarian stuffed eggplant, first wash and dry the eggplants; then cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp with a corer or teaspoon, leaving about a quarter inch (5 mm) of pulp intact near the skin. Coarsely chop the pulp thus obtained with a knife and set aside.

Lightly salt the inside of the eggplants and dress them with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil; place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake them in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for 15 minutes, turning them over halfway through cooking. Take them out and let them cool.

In the meantime, prepare the filling: wash and dry the cherry tomatoes, then cut them into pieces. Desalt the capers by placing them in a colander and rinsing them abundantly under cold water; coarsely chop them with a knife.

In a large pan, heat 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and brown the peeled garlic clove over low heat. Then add the pulp of the eggplants and the cherry tomatoes, salt and sauté over high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the eggplants are soft. Turn off the stove and remove the garlic clove.

Transfer the contents of the pan into a bowl and add the pitted olives, the chopped capers, the chopped basil leaves and the breadcrumbs. Stir well with a spoon to mix the ingredients and use the mixture to stuff the eggplant shells.

Place the vegetarian stuffed eggplants on the baking tray lined with baking paper and season them with a drizzle of oil, then bake them at 356°F (180°C) for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them rest for 5-10 minutes.

You can serve the vegetarian stuffed eggplant warm or at room temperature.