I got the idea for this recipe from a newspaper. Sveta cuts out vegetarian or 'semi-vegetarian' recipes whenever she sees them and passes them on to me. I try out the more interesting ones, usually with a bit of modification. This particular recipe suggested using a mincer on the aubergines.'Too much work.' I thought. We've got a mincer somewhere in a plastic bag. I saw it a year or so ago when I was cleaning out the cupboards, but it's all in bits and has to be assembled before use and, more significantly, disassembled and cleaned after use. The recipe also included eggs to bind the cutlets. 'Hang on.' I said to myself. 'Let's go back to the beginning and start again.' The title was 'Aubergine cutlets with sauce.' 'That'll do me.' I decided. I abandoned the rest of that recipe and built this one under the title.
Ingredients
For the cutlets:
2 aubergines
4 or 5 cups of breadcrumbs
1 dessertspoon of flour
a little black pepper
salt
For the sauce:
1 green pepper
3 tomatoes
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
A pinch of dried oregano
Salt
Olive oil
A few sprigs of fresh basil and/or parsley
Put the whole aubergines in a pan of boiling water and boil for about 15 minutes. While that's happening you can get on with the sauce. Chop the pepper and onion and fry in a little olive oil until the onion is transparent. Add crushed or chopped garlic and fry for another minute before adding the chopped tomatoes, oregano and salt. Stir and cover the pan. Simmer for about 15 minutes, adding a little water after ten minutes.
The aubergines should be about ready when you start simmering the sauce. Drain off the hot water and cover the aubegines with cold water. Leave to cool for a few minutes then drain again. Take an aubergine and cut off the stalk end. Strip off the skin and use your hands to press out excess water. Repeat with the others then chop them finely. Mash the aubergines well then mix in the breadcrumbs, flour, salt and pepper. That's your cutlet mix ready.
Pour the sauce into another container and rinse the frying pan. Put it back on the heat with some more olive oil in it. Form four or five cutlets from the mix and coat them in flour (put some flour on a plate, lay a cutlet on it then turn it over). The mix might be a bit sloppy so make thick cutlets. You can press them flat in the pan. Fry on a medium heat for about eight minutes each side. Try to avoid poking at the cutlets while they're cooking. They'll come unstuck from the pan in their own time.
When the cutlets have finished cooking, pour over the sauce (thin it first with water if necessary) and cook for a further 4 or 5 minutes. Garnish with the chopped fresh herbs.
Serve with pasta, mashed potatoes or salad.