Traditional Sicilian recipe for stuffed eggplants "a tabacchiera": slices of eggplant cut into pockets, stuffed with provola and anchovy, dipped in batter and fried. Easy to prepare, suitable as a side dish, appetizer, or main dish; the flavor is enhanced by the pairing with anchovy and aged cheese like pecorino or caciocavallo.
Prepare the batter: in a large bowl, pour the flour and dehydrated yeast, adding sparkling water little by little until you obtain a rather thick dough. Mix and let it rest for a few minutes.
Wash the eggplants and slice them into pieces about 1 cm thick.
Place the slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let them rest for about 30 minutes to release the bitter liquid.
Rinse the eggplant slices to eliminate the excess salt and dry them with paper towels.
Make a slit in each slice to create a pocket without cutting all the way through.
Stuff each pocket with a piece of provola and half a fillet of anchovy.
Dip each stuffed slice into the batter, ensuring the surface is well covered.
Fry the eggplants in plenty of hot oil until uniformly golden.
Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
Large bowl
Colander
Frying pan
Paper towels
Tips: you can replace the provola with grated pecorino or caciocavallo for a stronger flavor. Serve hot to best appreciate the stringy texture of the provola.
Italy, Sicilia
| Energy (kcal) | 103.17 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 15.94 |
| of which Sugars (g) | 2.25 |
| Fat (g) | 1.99 |
| of which Saturates (g) | 1.09 |
| Protein (g) | 5.23 |
| Fiber (g) | 2.42 |
| Sale (g) | 0.12 |
