Eggplant – Sausage
There are many ways to make tomates farcies (stuffed tomatoes), it all depends on where you are from. In the South West of France, where I am from, we are renowned for our Toulouse sausages, making it a natural choice to stuff our tomatoes with them. I also love eggplant and couldn’t resist adding my version to the dish. Prepare this recipe when the tomatoes are ripe, vibrant, and bursting with flavor, and your plate will sing the essence of summer.
Serves 2-4
8 medium tomatoes
Salt
Ground black pepper
1 cup basmati rice
2 sausages, casings removed
1/4 cup bread crumbs (from a rustic loaf or panko)
1 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoons dried coriander
1 teaspoons dried oregano
1 egg
1 medium eggplant
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tahini
1/4 cup bread crumbs (from a rustic loaf or panko)
1 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoons dried coriander
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 egg
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
2. Cut the eggplant into small cubes and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
3. Drizzle 4 tablespoons of olive oil over the eggplant cubes and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
4. Roast the eggplant in the oven for about 30 minutes until tender and nicely browned.
5. In the meantime, pre-cook the basmati rice for 5 minutes. Set aside in a baking dish with a cup of water (I also like to add the juice of the tomatoes with it).
6. Cut off the tops of the tomatoes and scoop out the center using a spoon. Save the tomato pulp in a bowl and season the hollowed tomatoes with salt and pepper. Set aside.
7. In a mixing bowl, combine the sausage meat, half of the tomato pulp (chopped), minced garlic clove, finely chopped onion, bread crumbs, parsley, coriander, chili powder, dried oregano, and the egg. Mix well to combine.
8. In another mixing bowl, mash the roasted eggplant using a fork until smooth. Add half of the tomato pulp (chopped), minced garlic cloves, finely chopped onion, tahini, bread crumbs, ground cumin, dried coriander and the egg. Mix well to combine.
9. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).
10. Place the hollowed tomatoes on top of the rice bed.
11. Fill four of the tomatoes with the sausage mixture and the remaining four with the eggplant mixture.
12. Add a little bit of crumb bread over the stuffed tomatoes.
13. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the tomatoes are tender and the stuffing is cooked through. The more the tomatoes are stuffed, the more they need to cook.
14. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
Cheers Xx
Share this Superb recipe – print | twitter | facebook | pinterest | email
