Rick Stein's lamb-stuffed aubergines with Manchego cheese recipe
I must say I took a bit of poetic licence with my stuffed aubergines. That’s not to say the people of La Mancha don’t stuff them, because they do, but I oiled and salted halved aubergines and baked them in the oven until tender, then made a ragu with minced lamb, red pepper, cumin, cinnamon and nutmeg and mixed that with the scooped-out aubergine flesh, filled the cases and sprinkled them with Manchego cheese before baking again. I have to say they are flying out of the door at our deli.
Ingredients
- 4 Aubergines, each weighing about 275g
- 6 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Medium onion finely chopped
- 4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 Large red pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1.5 tsp Freshly ground cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp Freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp Pimentón dulce (smoked sweet Spanish paprika)
- 1 Large pinch of crushed dried chillies
- 500 g Minced lamb
- 6 tbsp Tomato sauce (ideally freshly made)
- 100 g Manchego cheese, coarsely grated
- 1 Good pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 Aubergines, each weighing about 275g
- 6 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Medium onion finely chopped
- 4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 Large red pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1.5 tsp Freshly ground cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp Freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp Pimentón dulce (smoked sweet Spanish paprika)
- 1 Large pinch of crushed dried chillies
- 17.6 oz Minced lamb
- 6 tbsp Tomato sauce (ideally freshly made)
- 3.5 oz Manchego cheese, coarsely grated
- 1 Good pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 Aubergines, each weighing about 275g
- 6 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Medium onion finely chopped
- 4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 Large red pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1.5 tsp Freshly ground cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp Freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp Pimentón dulce (smoked sweet Spanish paprika)
- 1 Large pinch of crushed dried chillies
- 17.6 oz Minced lamb
- 6 tbsp Tomato sauce (ideally freshly made)
- 3.5 oz Manchego cheese, coarsely grated
- 1 Good pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
Details
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 70 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Cut each aubergine lengthways through the stalk, then score the flesh in a tight criss-cross pattern, taking the knife through the flesh down to the skin, but taking care not to cut through the skin. Place them side by side on a baking tray and drizzle each half with 11/2 teaspoons of the oil, season with salt and bake for about 30 minutes or until the flesh is soft and tender but not browned.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper and spices and fry gently for 10 minutes. Add the minced lamb and fry for 3-4 minutes or until all the meat is lightly browned. Stir in the tomato sauce and leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the aubergines from the oven and increase the temperature to 220°C/gas 7. Using a dessertspoon, carefully scoop most of the flesh out of the baked aubergine halves, leaving the skins with a layer of flesh about 1cm thick. Stir the flesh into the lamb mixture with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into each aubergine shell and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Bake for 9-10 minutes until golden brown.
Also worth your attention:
More recipes from Rick Stein
Cowdray Farm's roast shoulder of lamb
Our top five lamb dishes by Lovefood Team
John Gregory-Smith's roast Lebanese leg of lamb
The best Welsh lamb producers by Sophie Morris
Book: Rick Stein's Spain published by BBC Books
Photographs copyright James Murphy
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