Aubergine Boats ( Meat Stuffing With Gruyere And Cognac)

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 aubergines
• 200 g minced beef
• 2 onions, chopped finely
• 100 g gruyere
• 30 g flour
• 1 lemon
• 300 ml milk
• 4 tablespoons chopped tomatoes
• 1 egg
• nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon chopped fennel
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon cognac
• olive oil
• 30 g butter
• salt and pepper

Recipe

• 1 cut the aubergines in half lenghtwise. score the flesh and cook in a frying pan with 3 tbsp oil, flesh side down for 5-6 minutes.
• 2 cool then dig out the centre taking care not to break the skin. take the flesh and chop into small chunks.
• 3 saute the onions in 2 tbsp oil, when soft add the meat and after 4 minutes add the tomatoes, aubergine flesh and cognac. season and cook for 3 minutes. ad the herbs.
• 4 in a small pan cook the butter together with the flour for a minute, then add the warmed milk and with the help of a whisk cook for 4 minutes to make a bechamel sauce. set aside and add half the gruyere to the bechamel as well as the juice of half a lemon. season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
• 5 when it cools to just warm add the egg and mix.
• 6 fill the aubergine boat, alternating with layers of meat and bechamel, then finishing with a good sprinkling of grated gruyere.
• 7 bake in a preheated oven at 220c.