It's eggplant again, friends! We've already established that it's one of my favorite vegetables, so I thought I'd share another recipe.....this time stuffing it with all sorts of "yumminess"! And I love these baby eggplant........so cute!! This is great for dinner with a salad and some good bread on the side. It would also make a nice addition to a buffet table.
Meat-Stuffed Eggplant (serves 6 as a meal....12 as part of a buffet)
6 small eggplants (about 2 pounds total)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 red pepper, finely chopped (only use half, if the pepper is very large)
2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 cups cubed day-old country bread
about 1 cup milk
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for sprinkling on the top
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, plus more for sprinkling on the top
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4-5 oz. Fontina cheese, in small cubes
After washing the eggplants well, cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/2-1 inch thick shell. Finely chop the flesh.
Now, heat 4 tblsp. of the olive oil in a skillet over med.-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
Then crumble in the ground beef and pour in the wine. Cook until the meat releases it's juices and they cook away, about 10 minutes. (Make sure to break the meat up with a wooden spoon as it's cooking.)
Add the bell pepper and the eggplant and season with half of the salt. Cover and cook until everything's tender, about 10 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a bowl to cool.
Pour the milk over the bread cubes in a small bowl and let it sit until softened. Once softened, squeeze out the excess milk and add it to the cooled meat filling. Add the grated and cubed cheese, parsley, egg, and tomatoes, and mix well.
Place the eggplant halves in a baking dish, and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with the rest of the salt and toss well to coat all of the eggplant with the oil. Mound the filling into each half and arrange snugly in the baking dish.
Cover the dish with foil, and bake, at 400 degrees, until the eggplant is tender all the way through, about 40-45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with some more grated cheese and parsley and bake until the top of the filling is browned and crispy, about 10 minutes more.
Now, just remove these little stuffed babies to a serving platter and enjoy them!
For a printable recipe, click here.
Add the bell pepper and the eggplant and season with half of the salt. Cover and cook until everything's tender, about 10 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a bowl to cool.
Pour the milk over the bread cubes in a small bowl and let it sit until softened. Once softened, squeeze out the excess milk and add it to the cooled meat filling. Add the grated and cubed cheese, parsley, egg, and tomatoes, and mix well.
Place the eggplant halves in a baking dish, and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with the rest of the salt and toss well to coat all of the eggplant with the oil. Mound the filling into each half and arrange snugly in the baking dish.
Cover the dish with foil, and bake, at 400 degrees, until the eggplant is tender all the way through, about 40-45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with some more grated cheese and parsley and bake until the top of the filling is browned and crispy, about 10 minutes more.
Now, just remove these little stuffed babies to a serving platter and enjoy them!
For a printable recipe, click here.
Recipe adapted from recipe in "Lidia's Italy in America" by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich.
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