Fried Eggplants in Tomato Sauce

A community recipe by dmtrchr

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

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Introduction

It's a typical central Greece (the region called Thessalia and especially from the sub-region Trikala) summer dish, perfectly accompanied with feta cheese.

Veeeeeeeeery delicious, yet you'll never find it in any restaurant, even in a local one! So, grab the chance and try it :-)

It's a typical central Greece (the region called Thessalia and especially from the sub-region Trikala) summer dish, perfectly accompanied with feta cheese.

Veeeeeeeeery delicious, yet you'll never find it in any restaurant, even in a local one! So, grab the chance and try it :-)

Ingredients

Serves: 3-4

Metric Cups

16 slices aubergines (Otherwise known as eggplants, the long ones, but the ball-shaped are ok, too.)
flour (for dusting eggplant/aubergine))
700 grams tomato pulp (whole tomatoes, with the seeds and skin - they taste much better)
1 teaspoon garlic (in slices or chopped - I prefer it chopped)
2 medium onions
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
500 millilitres olive oil (buy 1 litre, incase you need more)
½ teaspoon sugar
feta cheese (to serve)

16 slices eggplants (Otherwise known as eggplants, the long ones, but the ball-shaped are ok, too.)
flour (for dusting eggplant/aubergine))
1½ pounds tomato pulp (whole tomatoes, with the seeds and skin - they taste much better)
1 teaspoon garlic (in slices or chopped - I prefer it chopped)
2 medium onions
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
18 fluid ounces olive oil (buy 1 litre, incase you need more)
½ teaspoon sugar
feta cheese (to serve)

Method

Fried Eggplants in Tomato Sauce is a community recipe submitted by dmtrchr and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

Put 2-3 ripe tomatoes in a mulinex, proccessor, whatever. it doesnt have to liquify the tomatoes completely. i also love the seeds and the tomato skin and i always make a tomato sauce using the whole tomato - it makes every food muuuuch more tastefull - very typical greek!
Slice the aubergines horizontally at 6-8mm thickness, cover them with flour (plain, yet any kind of flour is ok) and shake the slices a bit in order to get rid of the excess flour.
Cut a big onion into slices and 3 garlic parts (forgive my bad English!) chopped or sliced, salt, pepper.
Put some olive oil - at least 1 cm - in a pan (use the biggest pan available, it will save you time) and fry the slices both sides at medium-high temperature for about 6-8 min. each side (fire or electric cook no matter)in case your pan is small and you have to put the slices in more than 4-5 groups, you have to get rid of the oil and put new, coz the burnt flour that remains in the oil is too much and the rest slices wont be fried properly.
Put the fried slices onto absorbing paper, so it will absorb the excess oil from the slices (aubergines absorb oil like sponges!).
When you finish frying, get the pan clean, put in a little olive oil and put it on a medium fire, add sliced onion, then some smashed or chopped garlic, salt and pepper and after 3-4 min add the tomato pulp and cook it till you get a thick sauce (the quantity of the oil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper is up to your taste) - maybe for 15min. Then add all the eggpant slices in the sauce, stir gently for 2-3min and it's ready.

Put 2-3 ripe tomatoes in a mulinex, proccessor, whatever. it doesnt have to liquify the tomatoes completely. i also love the seeds and the tomato skin and i always make a tomato sauce using the whole tomato - it makes every food muuuuch more tastefull - very typical greek!
Slice the eggplants horizontally at 6-8mm thickness, cover them with flour (plain, yet any kind of flour is ok) and shake the slices a bit in order to get rid of the excess flour.
Cut a big onion into slices and 3 garlic parts (forgive my bad English!) chopped or sliced, salt, pepper.
Put some olive oil - at least 1 cm - in a pan (use the biggest pan available, it will save you time) and fry the slices both sides at medium-high temperature for about 6-8 min. each side (fire or electric cook no matter)in case your pan is small and you have to put the slices in more than 4-5 groups, you have to get rid of the oil and put new, coz the burnt flour that remains in the oil is too much and the rest slices wont be fried properly.
Put the fried slices onto absorbing paper, so it will absorb the excess oil from the slices (eggplants absorb oil like sponges!).
When you finish frying, get the pan clean, put in a little olive oil and put it on a medium fire, add sliced onion, then some smashed or chopped garlic, salt and pepper and after 3-4 min add the tomato pulp and cook it till you get a thick sauce (the quantity of the oil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper is up to your taste) - maybe for 15min. Then add all the eggpant slices in the sauce, stir gently for 2-3min and it's ready.

Additional Information

RECOMMENTATIONS: the most difficult/tiring part is to fry the slices, so the better the pan is, the less time and cooking oil it'll take. Also, dont worry if you cut the slices thinner than 6-8 mm, but be carefull, coz the thinner they are, the sooner must be removed from the pan.

The final result might not look very appealing, but the taste is superb!!! Do NOT forget to add in yr plate feta cheese (or any white chesse that imitates feta (we call white cheese the one made from 100% cow milk), but NO other kind of cheesE!!! This dish can definitely be cooked any season you find eggplants, but since it's a summer vegetable, it's more tastefull during summer. i wish you kali oreksi :-)

Tell us what you think

What 1 Other has said

i've cooked it myself twice - tasted by my mother hundreds - it's always a success, dont worry, nomatter weather the precision of quantities and the cooking times i've given :-)

Posted by dmtrchr on 17th July 2014

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