Papoutsakia - Greek Stuffed eggplants

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 large eggplants (cut in half)

1 onion (diced)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

28 oz tomatoes (crushed . San Marzano whole tomatoes like Gustarosso.)

1 bay leaf

2 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

3 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour (plus more you need to thicken the sauce.)

1 cup whole milk (plus more you need to loosen the sauce.)

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 cup kefalotiri cheese (grated)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil (total)

1/2 cup feta cheese (crumbled)

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

dried oregano

Directions

Prepare the eggplants

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, and make some cuts at the flesh crosswise with a sharp knife carefully to not cut the skin.

Sprinkle about 2-3 tbsp olive oil all over the eggplants, season with sea salt and pepper and a pinch of oregano.Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet facing down and bake for 30 minutes or until the flesh is soft.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a baking pan with the skin down.

Make the tomato sauce

Place a saucepan on high heat, and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, a generous pinch of oregano, the bay leaf, and cinnamon stick, and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes, season with sea salt and pepper, stir and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside.

With a fork, lightly tease the flesh of the eggplants. Remove some of the flesh, about one teaspoon, from each eggplant. Create a hollow space—that's where you will add the filling.Be careful not to remove too much flesh.Add the eggplant flesh to your tomato sauce and stir.

Start assembling

Place the eggplants in a baking pan.Fill them evenly with about two tablespoons of tomato sauce. Sprinkle over some crumbled feta cheese. Add leftover tomato sauce around the eggplants.

Make the béchamel

In a saucepan, warm the milk with the bay leaf.

In another saucepan, on medium heat, add the butter and stir with a whisk or a wooden spoon until the butter melts.

Add the flour in batches. Keep stirring to create a "roux."

Discard the bay leaf from the milk. Gradually add the milk to the roux while stirring vigorously to avoid lumps from the flour.

As soon as the mixture begins to thicken and the sauce is smooth and has a nice, not-too-thick texture remove from heat. Add the ground nutmeg and ¾ cup of grated kefalotiri—season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Finish assembling and bake

Top eggplants with at least two tablespoons of bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the rest of the grated kefalotiri on top of the béchamel. Add a pinch of chili flakes all over if you like. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top develops a nice golden color.

Serve immediately with a green salad and warm bread to dip in the sauce.

Nutrition

• Calories: 647 kcal
• Total Fat: 49 g
• Saturated Fat: 17 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 29 g
• Trans Fat: 0.3 g
• Cholesterol: 73 mg
• Sodium: 622 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 38 g
• Dietary Fiber: 11 g
• Total Sugars: 18 g
• Protein: 18 g