Vegetarian (or easy fix), Cuisines Without Their Own Category
Recipe:
6 Italian or baby eggplant (about 2 lbs)*
1/2 c olive oil
10 cloves thinly sliced garlic
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
Kosher salt
1 lb ground meat**
6 T tomato paste (I used a 6 oz can... more than called for but not too much)
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground allspice
1/8 t ground cloves
Ground black pepper
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, tough stems removed and coarsely chopped
1/2 -1 c (or more!) cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
*When the Italian eggplants were tiny and sad at the supermarket I subbed Asian eggplant. I followed the recipe as written except cut them into 6" sections after they were stuffed & before they went back into the sauce for final simmer. Worked great!
**Original recipe said ground beef. On different occasions I've used it, ground chicken, and ground lamb... all were tasty. There weren't huge differences in flavor with all the garlic and warm spices.
Preheat oven to 425 F with rack in center. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil and lightly oil.
Leave stems on eggplant and use a peeler to peel stripes (I removed about 1/3 of the skin), stopping 1" from bottom. Cut a lengthwise slit into the eggplant starting/ending 1" from either end and going about halfway through. Drizzle 1-2 t olive oil and a pinch of salt into each slit. Place eggplant in large bowl and drizzle with more oil. Add salt and pepper and rub oil over all surfaces. Place on baking sheet and bake about 35 minutes until fork tender. Remove and allow to cool somewhat.
While eggplant roasts, make filling. Heat water in kettle for use later. Heat 1/4 c olive oil in large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook very gently (stirring constantly) until slightly softened, but NOT browning, about 5 minutes. Transfer garlic to small bowl, leaving oil in skillet. Turn up heat to medium and add onion. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and turn up to medium-high. Add meat and brown for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add cinnamon, allspice, cloves, 1 t salt, & 1/2 t black pepper. Stir in about 1/2 c hot water. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until meat is done and flavors "come to life", about 5 minutes. "Taste and make delicious" (I *love* that quote :-). Remove from heat and stir in garlic slices & parsley.
Use a fork to open the slits in the eggplant. Sprinkle with a bit more salt and spoon about 2 T filling in each eggplant (there will be filling left in the pan). Put the pan back on the stove over medium heat. Add cherry tomatoes and 1/2 c hot water. Stir and bring to a good simmer. Taste and adjust spices. Gently nestle the eggplants in the sauce, spooning a bit of sauce on top of them. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the eggplant is completely tender, 35-45 minutes. Occasionally spoon a bit of sauce over eggplants. Add more water if needed (but it should be thick and meaty).
Garnish with more parsley and serve.
[I served it with some basmati rice made in the rice cooker with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, 1 t salt, and a pinch of saffron.]
