When Alain Ducasse concocts an authentic dish it’s a real delight.
The eggplants
Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Cut the tops of the eggplants lengthwise. Empty them with a spoon.
Prepare a baking dish with 6 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, thyme and two pinches of flower of salt. Place the eggplants, opened against the dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Set aside.
The zucchini
Make a small incision at the base of the zucchini in order for them to stand up. Cut the top part of each zucchini in order to create hats. Dip the hats for 10 minutes in boiling salt water. Drain them and put them under cold water to refresh them.
Empty the shells with a small spoon.
The tomatoes
Cut the top part of each tomato in order to create hats. Empty them with a spoon leaving 1 cm thickness all around. Sprinkle each tomato with a pinch of salt then place them on a grid upside down and let them drain for 30 minutes.
The peppers
Cut the peppers in two and remove the pits.
The potatoes
Cut the top part of each potato in order to create hats. Delicately dig them with a small spoon.
Preparing the stuffing
Remove the earthy part form the stem of the mushroom. Run cold water over them and chop thinly. Peel and remove the middle part from the garlic cloves. With a chopper, hash up all the meat. In a frying pan, melt 20 g of butter. Add the shallots, garlic and mushrooms. Leave to simmer over an average flame until the water from the mushrooms has evaporated. In a salad bowl, mix the minced meat, the mushrooms, the tomato paste, the basil and all the flesh from the veggies cut up in small pieces. Salt and pepper generously.
Finishing touch and presentation
Preheat the over to120 °C (th. 4). With a small spoon, delicately fill the inside of the vegetables with the stuffing. Place in a buttered oven dish and cover each one with its hat. Add a nut of butter on each one and a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chicken stock and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes basting them every 10 minutes. Place the small veggies on plates. Sprinkle with a dash of olive oil and cooking juice. Sprinkle with flower of salt and serve immediately.
