Lebanese Stuffed Eggplant Recipes

STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Cut off the stalks of the eggplant. Using a knife, apple corer or veggie drill, carefully hallow out the eggplant and remove the flesh without puncturing the outside of the eggplant. You can reserve the flesh for another recipe.
• Heat the olive oil in a large deep pot on medium heat large. Add the onions and ground beef and season with 7 Spice, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook until the beef is browned, about 7-10 minutes. Add the uncooked rice, the remaining salt and stir to combine the ingredients. Transfer the rice mixture to a bowl.
• To make the tomato broth, heat the olive oil in the pot used to cook the beef over medium. Add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and pressed garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the mixture becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the water and bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, while stuffing the eggplant.
• Using a small spoon or your hands, fill the hallowed out inside of each eggplant with the rice stuffing. Be sure to leave about ¼ inch of empty space at the top since the rice will expand when cooked. Then stuff a tomato chunk on top to seal the eggplant and prevent the stuffing from coming out when cooked. Repeat with the remaining eggplant. If you have any leftover stuffing, you can cook it with water.
• Transfer the stuffed eggplant to the deep pot and bring mixture to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce and the rice to fully cook.
• Serve the stuffed eggplant warm with the sauce on top.

LEBANESE STYLE STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Hollow out each eggplant with a melon-ball cutter, working from bottom end and leaving about 1/3 inch eggplant flesh along interior walls.
• Rinse rice in a sieve under cold water until water runs clear. Drain well.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry pine nuts, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Sauté onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer 1/2 cup onion mixture to bowl with pine nuts. Add stock, tomatoes, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to skillet and simmer, uncovered, while stuffing eggplant.
• Add rice, meat, allspice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to bowl with onion mixture and mix well with your hands.
• Stuff eggplant with meat mixture, being careful not to pack tightly (rice will expand during cooking). Transfer stuffed eggplants to skillet with tomato sauce and simmer, covered, carefully turning once, until rice is cooked through, 50 minutes to 1 hour (cut 1 in half to test).
• If sauce is watery, transfer eggplant to a plate and boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes, then adjust seasoning if necessary. Return stuffed eggplant to sauce. Squeeze lemon over dish and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

LEBANESE STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Peel eggplant and then cut lengthwise into quarters. Brush with vegetable oil and place in a 32 x 22.5cm baking pan. Broil until light brown. Set aside.
• Saute the lamb, onions, salt, pepper, cinnamon and nuts until medium cooked (not brown) in a pan.
• Make a slit in each quarter of eggplant lengthwise.
• Stuff the meat mixture into each slit and over the eggplant. Pour tomatoes with their juice over the meat mixture. Cover with aluminium foil.
• Bake at 375°C for about 1 hour.
• Serve with rice.

LEBANESE EGGPLANTS (MESSAKA'A)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in pot and fry the eggplants.
• Remove them and put them aside.
• Add the garlic to the same pot for 2 minutes.
• Add the onions and keep until transparent, stirring frequently.
• Add the tomatoes for 2 minutes.
• Add the eggplants, chickpeas, salt and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes.