Aubergine in the oven

Ingredients for 4 people
4 aubergines • 300 g minced meat (half veal, half pork) • 2 cloves of garlic • 1 dry bay leaf • 50g butter • 100 g flour • 1/2 litre full cream milk • 1 pinch nutmeg • 1/2 kg peeled tomatoes • 16 tbsp olive oil • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 tbsp sugar • 50 g dry Mahon cheese

Preparation

Cut the aubergines lengthwise in medium slices, place them in a strainer, salt and leave to settle. Grate the cheese.
For the béchamel, heat the milk on a low heat, melt the butter in a pan at medium heat, add 40 g of flour and while stirring continuously add the milk. Salt, sprinkle with nutmeg and reduce the heat. Cook for 10 minutes and set aside.
Make a tomato sauce cooking the chopped tomatoes in a pan with 4 tbsp of olive oil, salt and sugar for 30 minutes over low heat.
Peel and chop the garlic after having removed its core, mix it with the meat and stir fry for 15 minutes with 4 tbsp of olive oil and the chopped bay leaf. Add 3-4 spoonfuls of béchamel and set aside.
Place the remaining oil in a pan and when hot fry the aubergines; when done place them on kitchen paper.
Spread meat on one end of the aubergine slice and roll it Repeat with all the aubergines.
Put some béchamel and tomato sauce at the bottom of the casserole but do not mix the 2 sauces. Place the aubergine rolls in layers, pouring the sauces in between layers.
Start oven grill, sprinkle with cheese and heat under the broiler until brown.

Aubergine in the oven recipe can be made with different fillings, like fish or meat with fried vegetables (onions, tomatoes and garlic).

Some people prefer cutting the aubergines in halves, boiling them quickly, emptying them and filling them with the mixture of meat and chopped aubergine pulp. The most traditional aubergine recipe in Menorca.

Original aubergine in the oven recipe from the book Minorca. Cooking and gastronomy. Triangle Postals. Photography: Oriol Aleu

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Aubergine in the oven

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