| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 8 baby eggplants, about the size of a lemon
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 shallots, minced
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 pounds ground lamb
- 3 large vine-ripe tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, reserve some for garnish
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 lemon, sliced paper-thin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using a paring knife, cut a wedge out of each eggplant, from stem to base, just large enough to stick a spoon inside and scoop out the flesh inside. Discard the flesh you scoop out.
- Coat a large saute pan with the oil and place over medium flame. Lightly fry the eggplants on all sides, until slightly charred and blistered; remove to a platter and set aside.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the shallots and garlic, saute for 5 minutes, until soft and golden brown. Add the ground lamb to the pan and brown the meat well, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomatoes, combine well, and let simmer for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Toss in a couple of handfuls of the parsley, the mint, and lemon juice; continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the stuffing cool slightly. Using a spoon, stuff the lamb filling into the eggplants until they feel full, but not overly packed.
- Arrange the eggplants in a single layer in a large saucepan, pour the chicken stock over them and lay the lemon slices on top of each eggplant, drizzle with some more olive oil. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until fork tender. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 611 |
| Total Fat | 45 g |
| Saturated Fat | 17 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Cholesterol | 111 mg |
| Sodium | 1011 mg |
Reviews
To do it again, I’d recommend using two regular sized eggplants halved scooped to allow half inch wall thickness, then baked separately, and set aside.. Chopped onion sauted separately and set aside. The best lamb is sliced and shredded from a previously cooked roast, and add dried parsley, dried mint and other herbs like (e.g. rosemary & thyme. Then all the ingredients and bake it. Or do it like Julia did when I watched her on TV about 1970!
I scrambled the soft tofu and diced up the eggplant scrapings…it was the perfect consistency for the filing. I would recommend using half canned tomatoes and half fresh tomatoes though to get more of a liquidy tomato sauce.
In addition added a touch of ketchup to the tomatoe sauce as I used fresh tomatoes and they were a little sour tasting.
All in all the recipe turned out good. I will probably try it again.
Substitutions:
1 medium onion instead of shallots
beef instead of lamb (just a preference)
Additions:
1 lime instead of lemon
1 teaspoon of lemon dried lemon peel spice
1 cup of brown rice
1/2 cup of watter
Potatoes, Onions and Tomatoes for stuffing if desired!
The addition of the brown rice adds about an hour and 10 minutes to the oven time and a little more work up front but it makes for a nice complete dish:)
Before adding the beef/lamb to the sauteed onions, add the rice and toast it for a couple minutes. Then add the 1/2 cup of water and pre cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the meat and brown it in the same pot as identified in the recepie. Add the rest of the ingredients (tomatoes, spices, lime juice) and let the mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes until most of the water is gone.
In the oven, allow the eggplant (and onions and potatoes if you choose to stuff them as well) to bake at 350 for 2 hours. The brown rice holds its form well (doesn’t get mushy), but cooks slowly.
I use clay stoneware to cook, so cooking time may vary if you are using a pot as called for in Tyler’s recepie.
Overall, I loved this and I am so glad that he put an authentic and elegant dish out here for all of us to enjoy.