This is typical of the way I cook. I get an idea in my head. I search for recipes. Find many that seem interesting, but hardly ever do I just pick one and follow it. Not when it’s something like Stuffed Eggplant, where recipes abound. Greek. Italian. Vegan. Almost every chef on Foodnetwork has a recipe. Some, like Emeril have several. So, it’s not always easy to formulate a recipe for what I make on these excursions in the kitchen. Or to figure out which recipe I should credit.
In this case, it’s easy - I can’t credit anyone really. Well, not directly. I mostly followed Emeril’s Greek Stuffed Eggplant recipe, but I used beef since I had cooked ground beef in the freezer (halaal meat flown in via Mom from Trinidad - just like my student days!) and searched for inspiration from other Food Network chefs Michael Chiarello…Sara Moulton…(for the record, I can’t really watch Emeril cook…) A few on Epicurious. And with that combined knowledge, and knowing that I wanted to salt and drain the eggplant for best flavour and tenderness, I set forth. I also wanted to pre-bake the shells and use Chèvre inside but top with cheddar. And I had this pre-cooked beef. So I came up with what follows. The truth is, having this blog, and my camera, is probably seriously helping me to keep track of what I do…that and procrastination from the work that I actually get paid to do…
RECIPE
Serves 2, with a salad, rice or couscous
INGREDIENTS:
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2 small roundish eggplants (or 1 regular long large ones)
salt
1 cup cooked ground beef (a little less than 1/4 lb raw seasoned ground beef ) - you can use whatever already cooked meat you have had that can be minced or chopped up, since you don’t need very much for 2 eggplants)
1 small onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 small tomato chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablesppon chopped mint (since my Chèvre was herbed, I skipped this so I wouldn’t have too many flavours running amok)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 oz soft goat cheese (I used a soft herbed Chèvre, you can use a soft Feta or any soft white cheese you prefer)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar (or enough to top the eggplants)
olive oil for cooking
METHOD:
1. If you are not starting with cooked ground beef 
season the ground beef with salt, pepper, garlic and green seasoning and let rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge or while you prepare the eggplant.
2. Prepare the eggplant
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* Slice the eggplants in half lengthways
* Scoop out the flesh leaving about 1/2 cm on the skin (it should still be firm and you don’t want to see the purple skin inside)
* Sprinkle salt on the inside of the shells and invert onto a wire rack over a baking sheet. Leave to drain for at least 30 minutes
* Dice the flesh, salt and place in a colander over a bowl and leave to drain for at least 30 minutes
* Rinse the shells and pat dry with paper towels
* Rinse the chopped eggplant and drain out the liquid
3. Brush the insides of the shells with some olive oil and place on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for about 15-20 minutes until the shells are soft and lightly golden.
4. Meanwhile, make the stuffing. Add the beef to a skillet over medium high heat and cook until brown, breaking up any clumps. Drain the fat and set aside.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and saute the onions until translucent. Add the chopped eggplant and minced garlic and cook until the eggplant is soft.
6. Add the beef and mix well.
7. Add the tomato and parsley and mix well. Cook for about 5 minutes.
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8. Add a couple tablespoons of water, mix and lower the heat. After 5 minutes, add the breadcrumbs and mix well to combine. The mixture should be mushy but not dry.
9. Take off heat and add the cheese and mix well until the mixture is creamy and the cheese is well incorporated.
10. Divide the stuffing equally between the shells. Bake in the 350°F oven for about 20 minutes. Take out of oven and top with cheddar cheese. Return to oven and let cook for 5-7 more minutes until the cheese topping is to your liking. I just wanted it a bit melted and set.
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The stuffing, with the soft white cheese is creamy and delicious. I was all prepared to eat the shells, since I pre-baked them etc, but the skins didn’t taste that great. The flesh on the inside of the shell, however, could be scooped out along with the stuffing quite nicely. I recommend leaving the thinnest possible shell in case you don’t eat them
You could also make these vegetarian by adding more veggies (sweet peppers, mushrooms etc) and soya or tofu. And of course vegetarian cheeses.
I ate these on their own, but I think it would go really really well with a brown rice, maybe some couscous or a nice salad. You shouldn’t need anything too strongly flavoured as this dish has a lot of flavour on its own. You will note I didn’t add any salt or pepper to the stuffing. I didn’t miss it. Salting the eggplant (even though you rinse it) and the goat cheese adds enough salt for my taste and the rest of the stuffing has seasoned meat and onions and garlic. So it’s all good.
My Stuffed Eggplant Set on Flickr.
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