Grilled eggplant boats with tomatoes and Parmesan

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 eggplant(s)
• 1 onion(s)
• 400 g tomatoes, chopped, from the can
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 2 tomatoes
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper, black
• Herbs, Italian
• possibly tomato paste
• e.g. Parmesan

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Wash the eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise. Hollow them out with a spoon, leaving a core about 1 cm thick. Reserve the flesh. Rub the insides of the hollowed-out eggplants with salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes. The salt draws out the water and bitterness from the eggplant. Chop the onion into small pieces and place it in a pan with hot olive oil until translucent. Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes into small pieces and peel the garlic. It’s best to chop the clove into small pieces and crush it with the back of a knife on a chopping board with a little salt. If you don’t like this or are unable to do this, you can also use a garlic press. Add the canned tomatoes to the pan. Then add the garlic and simmer gently to reduce the liquid. Stir occasionally! Now add the chopped fresh tomatoes and simmer. Cut some of the eggplant flesh into small pieces and add it to the tomatoes. After a few minutes, season with salt, pepper, and herbs to taste. If everything is still too thin, a little tomato paste can help. To prevent the fresh tomatoes from overcooking, set the pot aside. Wipe the salted eggplants with a kitchen towel and rub them inside and out with a little olive oil. Place them on the hot grill grate with the inside out. After a few minutes, turn the eggplants 90° to create a nice grill pattern. The eggplants can now also be turned on the outside of the grill. Important! The eggplants should only be grilled, not cooked. Now add the tomatoes to the eggplant boats and continue grilling. Keep the grill lid closed. When the eggplants have shrunk a little, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (coarse Parmesan flakes work best). Close the grill lid for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.