Neapolitan delight: Discover the magic of melanzane a funghetto
Italian cuisine is full of flavour and aroma, yet it admirably embraces simplicity. Just a few ingredients are enough to create a dish that's incredibly versatile, tasty, and very healthy. Neapolitan vegetable stew should find its way to your home at least once.
Aubergines are not particularly popular, mainly because we do not fully know how to use them in the kitchen. They often end up alongside meat, mushrooms, peppers, and courgettes in the version of ratatouille. The true treasure trove of aubergine inspiration is Italian cuisine. One of the recipes worth trying is the Neapolitan dish melanzane a funghetto.
Vegetable stew without meat. Italian version with aubergine
Melanzane a funghetto (aubergines like mushrooms), is an Italian dish that is reminiscent of a vegetable stew. The dish consists of aubergines fried with tomatoes according to the original recipe from Naples (unfortunately, outside Naples, this dish is not particularly known). Fried in olive oil to a golden colour, the aubergines resemble fried mushrooms in appearance, hence the name of the dish. Melanzane a funghetto can be served as an appetiser, stuffing for sandwiches, pizza, or bruschetta, and also as a sauce for pasta.
Melanzane a funghetto can be prepared in several different ways. In the traditional version, aubergines are fried in deep fat until they become golden brown. However, before that, you should salt them and set them aside for a few moments to remove excess moisture. This method will also make the bitterness in the aubergine less noticeable. In a slightly healthier version, you just need to chop the aubergines and sauté them in a few tablespoons of olive oil.
Melanzane a funghetto, or Italian vegetable stew. Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 kg aubergines,
- 1 kg cherry tomatoes (or other tomatoes),
- 12 basil leaves,
- 3 cloves of garlic,
- olive oil,
- salt and pepper.
Preparation:
- Wash the tomatoes and aubergines. Cut the tomatoes in half and the aubergines into medium-sized cubes.
- Heat the olive oil, then fry the aubergines so that they become golden brown.
- Line a colander with a paper towel, then transfer the sautéed aubergines onto it to remove excess oil.
- In the same pan, sauté the whole clove of garlic. After a few seconds, when the garlic aroma begins to release, add the chopped cherry tomatoes.
- Add basil to the tomatoes. Crush the leaves with your hands.
- Sauté everything for 5 minutes over high heat, then add the aubergines.
- Cook everything for an additional 2 minutes.
- Season the dish with salt and pepper.
