Just a quick one today, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you about this lamb stuffed eggplant.
As we continue our culinary journey through the Middle East, I picked this recipe since it has all the flavors that I love from this region and reminded a lot of stuffed peppers that I never make, but really should make more often.
This recipe was adapted from the good folks at Food and Wine because sometimes we need a little help from our friends.
Lamb Stuffed Eggplant
Lamb Stuffed Eggplant is a delicious way to indulge in the flavors of the middle east, where seasoned lamb fills whole eggplants and baked until saucy and soft.
Ingredients
- 4 whole eggplants approximately 1 pound each, halved
- 1 TB olive oil
- 1 TB cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp cumin
- 1 ½ tsp sweet paprika
- 1 onion diced
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 1 TB lemon juice
- 1 TB sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the eggplants in a large baking dish, cut sides up. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake approximately 20 minutes, until browned.4 whole eggplants
- While the eggplants cook, in a large skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and half of the cinnamon, cumin and paprika and cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the lamb and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains, about 4 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the skillet. Stir in the tomato paste, half of the parsley and 1 teaspoon of the sugar and season the lamb with salt and pepper.1 TB olive oil, 1 TB cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika, 1 onion, 1 pound ground lamb, 2 tsp tomato paste, 1/4 cup fresh parsley, 1 TB sugar
- Evenly divide the filling into the eggplants. In the small bowl with the remaining spices, combine 1/2 cup of water, the lemon juice, remaining sugar, adding salt and pepper to taste. Pour into the baking dish. Add the cinnamon stick and cover the dish with foil. Bake for about 50 minutes, basting twice with the pan juices, until very tender.1 TB lemon juice
- Serve with remaining parsley
