Baked Eggplants Stuffed with Pumpkin, Feta and Walnuts, with Mint Courgettes

• large eggplants↗2
• pumpkin↗200 г/7 унції g

  or zucchini (try kabocha or butternut squash)

• red onion↗100 г g

  thinly sliced

• cumin seeds↗1 ч. л. tsp

  (or slightly less ground cumin)

• garlic cloves↗2

  thinly sliced

• refined rapeseed oil or olive oil↗4 ст. л. tbsp
• fresh herb2 ч. л. tsp

  (thyme, oregano, sage or rosemary work well)

• feta↗100 г g

  cut into cubes

• walnuts

  lightly toasted and split

• courgettes↗4
• lemon↗1
• extra virgin olive oil↗2 ч. л. tsp
• mint

  leaves, chopped

• flat‑leaf parsley

  chopped

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C for convection) – gas 6. Cut the eggplants lengthwise, leaving the stem (it can be removed while eating). Using a small sharp knife, scoop out the flesh, leaving a shell about 1 cm thick. Chop the scooped flesh and place it in a bowl.

2. 2

   Clean the pumpkin (or courgette), remove the seeds, cut into 1‑2 cm cubes and mix with the chopped eggplant flesh and red onion. Add cumin, garlic and 2 tbsp oil, season with salt and black pepper and mix thoroughly. Spread the mixture on a parchment‑lined tray. Brush the eggplant halves with 1 tbsp oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, place them skin‑side down on another parchment‑lined tray. Bake for 15‑20 minutes until the pumpkin and eggplant shells are almost soft.

3. 3

   Return the pumpkin mixture to the bowl, add the fresh herb, feta and toasted walnuts, and mix again. Flip the eggplant halves, fill them with the prepared mixture, drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp oil and bake for another 20 minutes until the pumpkin is fully cooked. If the surface darkens too much, loosely cover with foil.

4. 4

   While the eggplants bake, prepare a courgette salad. Trim the ends of the courgettes, slice them into very thin long strips. Toss the strips with zest, the juice of half a lemon and olive oil. Let sit for 10 minutes to soften the courgettes slightly.

5. 5

   For serving, mix the mint and parsley with the courgette salad, and slice the remaining lemon into wedges. Place a stuffed eggplant half on each plate, alongside a portion of the salad, and serve with lemon wedges.