Aubergine is definitely my most favourite vegetable (ok, it is considered a "fruit" botanically, but I'd like to eat my "vegetable"). You can find it cooked in a large number of ways across mediterranean. You can have it fried in the most simple way; also cooked with or without meat, grilled in salads, roasted in kebabs, mixed up with bechamel for Hünkarbeğendi (a traditional Turkish dish, grilled aubergine puree served with lamb or veal ragu), mixed up with tahini for delicious babaganoush or the baby aubergines in pickles and unbelievably at your breakfast, cooked as jam. The list goes on and on but todays choice is another well known Turkish dish: dolma, which means stuffed. Dolma refers to a big family of dishes which are stuffed in similiar ways with similiar ingredients. Such as bell peppers, potatoes, onions, celeriac and of course grape leaves, as well as calamari if you prefer seafood.
Lately I found small, round aubergines in a farmer's market which sells only biologically grown fruits and vegetables. I did not wait another second to decide what to do:-) It has been a long time and we all miss aubergine cooked this way in the oven. If you have different vegetables at home as I mentioned above; you can make a colourful mixture for your dinner. You can cook them in a pot over the flame but oven-baked dolma tastes much better. If small rounded aubergines are not available, use long ones, cut in the middle and cleaned the same way. For four persons:
- 8 small, rounded aubergines
- 1 to 2 tablespoons short grain rice for each one
- 2 medium onions (diced)
- 1 clove of garlic (optional)
- 1 medium tomato (diced)
- half a bunch of chopped greens, such as fresh mint, parsley and dill (especially mint and parsley are essential)
- salt, freshly ground blackpepper, red pepper flakes (according to taste)
- 1 tablespoon dried currants
- 1 tablespoon pinenuts
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Wash and peel aubergines as shown above and clean insides with the help of a melonballer, leaving the outer skin as thin as possible without tearing it apart. You can chop insides and add to the stuffing or just saute them with a little olive oil and serve with strained yoghurt. Immediately rub the aubergines inside out with tablesalt to help diminish the bitter taste they have; as well as to prevent browning. Leave them in a colander in the sink for at least half an hour. You can see the bitter, brown juice dripping away slowly. In the meantime mix all the ingredients including olive oil and check the taste. You should feel the sugar as well as salt.
This stuffing is prepared in other ways, like sauteéing the rice with onions and cooking, till the (somewhat) risotto consistency but it takes longer time and surely needs more oil. What I used is a lighter (and quicker) version which my grandma would not approve:-)
Preheat your oven to 220C. Wash the aubergines and pat dry. Fill them loosely with the stuffing and place them in an oven dish which has a lid. I used my pyrex one. You can add potatoes to fill the empty space and to support the other vegetables, they will cook nicely and can be served along dolmas. I also filled an onion with the leftover amount of stuffing. Add around 1 glass of water, vegetables will also release enough. Drizzle them a little olive oil for a shiny look. Close the lid and put it in the oven. After 50mins-1 hour, lower the temperature to 180 and cook another 30 mins. You can lift off the lid in last 15-20mins to evaporate excess water and get them well browned.
Dolma is best served warm, along with yoghurt and lots of green salad:-) Afiyet olsun! (Enjoy)
Has been put on my list already... the older I grow the more addicted to aubergines I get ;-) It's so good to have a reliable recipe source like yours. Hugs, angelika
Tulin it looks lovely..Even in my childhood I adored them..My gran used to peel all and leave them white. It made them , how can I say, "ilik gibi " :)
Thank you Angelika, I am honoured for being referred as "reliable":-) Hope you will like them.
:-)You are right Betül, they are becoming definitely creamy. I cannot imagine my kitchen without them.