[CH] Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant
Rob Solarion (solarion@1starnet.com)
Mon, 12 Aug 2002 21:51:45 -0600
MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED EGGPLANT
By Rob Solarion
This is a kind of personalized recipe. If you don't have "olive salad" or
"awazey paste", then you can omit them or add something else. Rob
*
INGREDIENTS
1 large eggplant
olive oil
1.5-2 cups of pulverized bread crumbs
1/4 cup of Mediterranean olive salad
3 hot pickled peppers, not seeded, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1/2 cup of finely minced bell pepper
1 tsp. whole tiny capers
1 tsp. Ethiopian awazey paste
1 tsp. powdered dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
juice of 1 lemon
parmigiano (or other) cheese, freshly grated
PROCEDURE
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180° C). Wash and dry the whole eggplant. Then
cut off the stem end and slice it in half lengthwise. Grease a baking dish
with olive oil. Then pour some olive oil into the palm of one hand, and
thoroughly grease the eggplant halves. Place the eggplant into the dish,
cut sides up. Pour a little more olive oil onto the cut sides of the
eggplant. Put it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, mix the bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of olive
oil, and all the other ingredients, except the cheese(s). At the end of 30
minutes, remove the eggplant from the oven. Let it cool sufficiently to be
handled. Then using a knife or a grapefruit-type spoon, scoop out the
eggplant pulp from the peels, leaving a sort of hollowed-out eggplant shell
behind. Mash the eggplant pulp completely, and mix it into the rest of the
stuffing. Stir in some grated cheese at this point, if you like. Spoon
the stuffing back into the eggplant shells, piling it high in the center.
Grate on some more cheese if desired.
Return the stuffed eggplant to the oven and bake for 15 minutes more. Let
it cool almost to room temperature before serving. Yield: 2-4 servings.