Aubergines à la bonifacienne is the signature vegetable dish of Bonifacio — the spectacular cliff-top citadel at Corsica's southern tip, whose cuisine reflects its proximity to Sardinia (only 12km across the Straits of Bonifacio) and its Genoese heritage more strongly than any other Corsican city. The preparation: halve 4 large aubergines lengthwise, score the flesh in a crosshatch pattern, salt generously, and leave for 30 minutes to draw out bitterness and moisture. Rinse, pat dry, and fry cut-side down in generous olive oil until deeply golden and soft (8-10 minutes). Prepare a stuffing: sauté diced onion and garlic in olive oil, add 200g chopped fresh tomatoes, the scooped-out aubergine flesh (chopped), 100g stale bread soaked in milk and squeezed, 2 beaten eggs, 100g grated brocciu passu or aged tomme corse, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper. Fill the aubergine shells with this mixture, arrange in an oiled gratin dish, scatter with more grated cheese and breadcrumbs, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 190°C for 30 minutes until the filling is set and the top is golden. The dish is served warm or at room temperature — it improves after resting. The Bonifacian character comes from the generous use of brocciu in the filling and from the Genoese technique of combining fried aubergine with bread-and-cheese stuffing — a technique found throughout Liguria and Genoa's former colonial territories. Aubergines à la bonifacienne is the Corsican representative in the great Mediterranean family of stuffed aubergine dishes — from Turkey's imam bayildi to Sicily's parmigiana to Provence's petits farcis.
Halved aubergines, salted, fried golden. Stuffed with: scooped flesh, onion, tomato, bread soaked in milk, eggs, brocciu passu. Topped with cheese and breadcrumbs, baked 190°C, 30 minutes. Bonifacio: Genoese heritage, proximity to Sardinia. Served warm or room temperature. Part of the Mediterranean stuffed-aubergine family.
Fry the aubergine halves in generous olive oil — they absorb a lot, which is correct: the oil makes them silky and rich. For the most flavorful filling, use a combination of brocciu passu (for salt and tang) and fresh brocciu (for creaminess). Add a few capers (Corsican capers from Centuri on Cap Corse are exceptional) for a briny note. This dish is excellent cold the next day — it becomes a kind of vegetable terrine. In Bonifacio, it's served as a first course or as part of a mixed antipasti with charcuterie and olives.
Not salting the aubergines (30 minutes of salting removes bitterness and excess moisture). Not frying deeply enough (the aubergine flesh must be golden and soft — pale = raw and bitter). Making the filling too wet (squeeze the bread well, drain the tomato). Using too little cheese (brocciu passu or tomme is essential — it binds and flavors). Serving straight from the oven (rest 15 minutes — the filling sets and the flavors meld). Skipping the breadcrumb topping (it creates the essential golden crust).
La Cuisine Corse Traditionnelle — Christiane Schapira; Cuisine de Bonifacio