Middle East Style Stuffed Eggplant

Middle East Style Stuffed Eggplant

You like eggplant?  Know anything about them, other than they’re almost black and very shiny.  Well, not all of them are dark and I think we’re the only country that calls them eggplants.  In France and Germany (slightly different spelling) and England, they’re known as aubergines.  Hey, we also use that word, but for us it’s the name for a dark purple color, not the name of the fruit.  Yes, eggplant, a member of the nightshade family (as is the tomato) is a fruit.  So what is a fruit?  Botanically speaking, a fruit develops from the ovary of a seed bearing plant, while a vegetable is another part of the plant such as roots (carrots), leaves (spinach), or stalks (celery and broccoli).

Ok, fine, but what is the nightshade family? You may ask, as you recall your teenage years and being mesmerized by the girl next door, undressing with the shade pulled down.  

The nightshade family or Solanaceae, features plants that grow on every continent except Antarctica.  Want some names:  tomato, tomatillo (oldest found was a fossil about 52 million years old), peppers, potatoes, and even tobacco.  Some, like the mandrake have psychoactive properties; others such as the Belladonna are deadly poisonous.

Hurry, hurry read all about them nightshades:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae

Eggplants come in so many colors and sizes.  Deep purple and globe shaped you’re familiar with, but how about light purple, striped, yellow, white, slender, round, curled?  Want to know more?  Check out this link and then let’s get down to some cookin’!

https://www.thekitchn.com/a-visual-guide-to-10-glorious-varieties-of-eggplant-232828

First step in preparing any dish is to open a bottle of wine.  In this case I chose a polite Riesling from the Mosel Valley.  I saw the wine prices in the States and was appalled!  Here in Germany, I buy very fine whites for the equivalent of six or seven dollars.  But, anyway, open the damn bottle!  Your hungry guests are waiting.

Middle Eastern Style Stuffed Eggplant

This recipe is made in four parts:  Spice Mix, Tahini Sauce, baked eggplant, and the meat stuffing.

Turn your oven to 400ºF and while it heats, we can put the spices together and make the sauce.

Spice Mix

Mix well (I used a small bowl):

1 teaspoon each, paprika, powdered coriander, and powdered cumin.

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon herbs de Provence

Set aside.

Tahini Sauce – get your blender or food processor ready

½ Cup Greek style Yogurt

2 Tablespoons well mixed tahini paste

6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

Juice from half a lemon

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon red pepper (or more, you snarling beast!)

3 Tablespoons water

Stuff it all in your appliance and whiz it until it's thoroughly blended.  Should be the consistency of yogurt.

Time to get those eggplants in the oven.

Two Eggplants

Slice them in half, rub the flesh sides with olive oil and sprinkle generously with about 1/3 of the spice mixture.

Put some parchment paper on a broiling pan, lay on the eggplant halves and pop them in the oven for 25-30 minutes and check.  Mine cooked to the soft stage (just browning) in about 35 minutes.  All ovens are different.

While the eggplants roast, make the stuffing.

Stuffing

½  onion, peeled and diced

half cup of fresh mint leaves minced

3 Cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 ½  pounds ground beef

Handful of raisins

Fresh black pepper

Red pepper to taste

1 ½  Cups cooked rice

Handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped

Splash some olive oil in a large frying pan.  When the pan is medium hot, toss in the chopped onion and garlic.  Don't’ let the onions and garlic burn.  Add a little more oil if you need to.

When the onions/garlic are soft, toss in the meat and break it up as much as possible.  When the meat is no longer pink, toss in the cherry tomatoes, the rice, the black and red pepper, raisins, the mint, and the remainder of the spice mix. Stir well.  Add salt to taste.  Cook well. The stuffed eggplants are not going back in the oven.

If you timed it right, the eggplant halves are ready to come out.  Use a spoon to mash down the centers and mound the meat filling on top.  Drizzle on the tahini sauce. You may want to add some sliced green onions, chopped parsley, or sprinkle on some paprika for color.

Better open another bottle of wine.  Your guests might want some too.

By the way, I had both meat mixture and tahini mixture left over. With the leftovers I’ll make tacos, using lettuce leaves for the taco shells.

Bon Appétit!  Or in German:  Guter Appetit! Or in Amerkin:  Dig in!