Bonifacio Stuffed Eggplant Boats
Known in French as Aubergines à la Bonifacienne, these cheesy stuffed eggplant boats are a specialty from the town of Bonifacio, at the Southern tip of the island of Corsica, in France. As with many traditional recipes from the island, they features wonderful Mediterranean flavors, all while making great use of leftover bread and cheese. They’re plump, cheesy, satisfying and a perfect Summer dish. A home-cook’s favorite You’ll find these stuffed eggplant boats served in most restaurants of the town of the Bonifacio. But they’re also a home-cook’s favorite, as…
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3-4 slices (150g) of stale Pain de Mie (or any white stale bread)
- 1 cup (250ml) milk (2% or while) 4 medium-size eggplants
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups (200g) grated cheese, such as grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 6-7 basil leaves, chopped (+ a few more leaves for serving) 1 tsp Herbes de Provence
- Salt, pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil, for frying
- Optional, for serving: warm tomato sauce
Instructions
- 1
Soak the Pain de Mie in the milk for 10 minutes.
- 2
Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Plunge the whole eggplants for 10 minutes. Drain and place on a tea towel to cool.
- 3
When cool enough to handle, cut the eggplants in half and carefully scoop out the flesh (be careful not to cut into the skin), using a serrated spoon or sharp knife. Lay each eggplant half onto a paper towel (cut side down), for the excess water to be absorbed.
- 4
Chop the eggplant flesh into small pieces, and combine with the pain de mie (drained), 1 egg, grated cheese, chopped garlic clove, chopped basil leaves and dried Herbes de Provence. Knead the mixture with your hands to obtain a dense filling.
- 5
Fill each eggplant “boat” evenly (they should be well packed) and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- 6
Heat up the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. In several batches, fry the eggplants (stuffed side down) for 7 minutes. Do not move the eggplants around, or the stuffing will crumble/fall apart. Flip the boats carefully, and fry (skin side down) for 4 minutes, until brown and crispy.
- 7
Season with salt and serve immediately - on its own and with warm tomato sauce at the bottom.