Aubergines all gooey and cheesy!

Aubergines  have become kind of  staple in our house since we decided to quit the carbs for a while. Quite tricky to find replacements for rice and potatoes and pasta and all the plate-fillers. Aubergines filled that gap for us. We grill them(most of the time), saute them, fry them and stuff them!

Aubergines were nowhere near the top of my favorite food list while growing up. I think my mom tried making moussaka once and her family  met the dish with such disapproval that she send that recipe to a place from where it would never ever return. Luckily I have seen the error of my ways and now absolutely love eggplants in whatever form it is presented to me. I love making these Cheesy Eggplant rolls and with a simple salad, it is one of my family’s favorite dinners. As a foodie, I had to re-invent the classic Greek Moussaka and served as individual portions, we all loved it!

Even the delicious Italian Melanzane Parmagiana finds its way to my table often, just in a somewhat deconstructed way. For a carb-free snack idea, try this  Eggplant Antipasto, guaranteed to wow even the carb-eaters. If you cannot get your children to eat aubergines or eggplants, try them on these delicious Aubergine pizzas.

The most popular off the aubergine family is of course the “Nightshade”, with the scientific name Solanum Melongena. Aubergines are also known as brinjals, eggplants, melongene or guinea squash. Something I did not know, is that aubergines are related to tomatoes and potatoes.

I had some of Fairview’s  Shelley’s Labneh Medium Fat Soft Cheese leftover after I made the fragrant Moroccan Carrot soup and wanted to see how this cheese performs when baked. I roasted the aubergines in the oven and then stuffed them with a a cheesy concoction that was too delicious for words.

Cheesy  Eggplants with Labneh

Serves 6 as starter or 3 as main course

Ingredients

3 medium eggplants

4 big cloves garlic – not peeled

45 ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

125 ml Fairview Labneh with zahatar

125 ml grated mozzarella cheese

1 egg

2 spring onions – finely chopped

A few basil leaves – finely chopped.

1 chili – finely chopped

Method

Preheat oven to  180 C. Slice the eggplants in half. Add the olive oil to a baking tray and sprinkle  with salt and pepper . Place the eggplants in the baking tray, sliced side down. Add the cloves of garlic and roast for about 30-35 minutes or until the eggplants are soft. Remove from the oven and scoop the flesh from the eggplants and place into a bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Add all the other ingredients to the egg plant and scoop the mixture back into the eggplant shells. Bake in the oven until the filling is golden brown. Serve with a green salad and a spoonful of Fairview Labneh with Zahatar.