Venture into the culinary delights of the Middle East with this tantalizing recipe for stuffed eggplant from Jerusalem. Discover the harmonious blend of tender lamb, aromatic pine nuts, and a symphony of herbs and spices, all nestled within the smoky embrace of roasted eggplant. Embark on a sensory journey as you explore variations of this classic dish, including a vegetarian delight featuring a savory lentil filling and a unique take on the traditional stuffed eggplant with a tangy tomato sauce. Prepare to indulge in a symphony of flavors and textures that will transport your taste buds to the bustling souks and vibrant markets of Jerusalem.
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STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH LAMB AND PINE NUTS FROM 'JERUSALEM'
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Place the eggplant halves, skin side down, in a roasting pan large enough to accommodate them snugly. Brush the flesh with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. While the eggplants are cooking, you can start making the stuffing by heating the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan. Mix together the cumin, paprika, and ground cinnamon and add half of this spice mix to the pan, along with the onions. Cook over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often, before adding the lamb, pine nuts, parsley, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and some black pepper. Continue to cook and stir for another 8 minutes, until the meat is cooked. Place the remaining spice mix in a bowl and add the water, lemon juice, tamarind, the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, the cinnamon sticks, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; mix well. Reduce the oven temp to 375 F. Pour the spice mix into the bottom of the eggplant roasting pan. Spoon the lamb mixture on top of each eggplant. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, return to the oven and roast for 1 1/2 hours, by which point the eggplants should be completely soft and the sauce thick; twice during the cooking, remove the foil and baste the eggplants with the sauce, adding some water if the sauce dries out. Serve warm, not hot, or at room temperature.
SPICED LAMB-STUFFED EGGPLANTS
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, including the stems. Using a sharp paring knife, scoop out some of the flesh, leaving a shell that is 1/3 inch thick and reserving the scooped-out eggplant. Place the eggplant shells snugly in a single layer in a large (10-by-14-inch) rectangular baking dish. Brush the eggplant all over with 1/4 cup olive oil (use it all!) and sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour 1/4 cup water in the baking dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes, until the shells are tender when pierced with a small knife. Remove from the oven, discard the foil, and leave the oven on.
- Meanwhile, for the lamb filling, in a large (12-inch) skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until tender. Cut the reserved scooped-out eggplant into 1/2-inch dice (you should have about 2 cups). Add the eggplant to the onion and cook for 5 minutes, adding more oil if it seems dry. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the ground lamb and cook, mashing lightly with a fork, for 5 to 7 minutes, until no longer pink. Add the oregano and cinnamon and cook for one minute. Add the wine, tomatoes, marinara, parsley, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, until the liquid evaporates. Spoon the filling into the eggplant halves in the baking dish. (You may have a little extra filling.)
- In a medium bowl, mash the ricotta, goat cheese, egg yolks, mint, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper with a fork. With a spoon, place large dollops of the ricotta mixture on the lamb filling and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the filling is hot and the topping is lightly browned. Serve warm, sprinkled with extra mint.
EGGPLANT WITH LAMB AND PINE NUTS
A recipe from Jeff Smith. Rounds of eggplant topped with lamb in a flavorful sauce. You could serve this as a light main course, a side or even as an appetizer!
Provided by LifeIsGood
Categories Lamb/Sheep
Time 50m
Yield 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Brown the lamb, onion and garlic in the oil, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the meat is browned, add the salt, pepper, tomato sauce, red wine, cinnamon, allspice and pine nuts. Cook for about 15 minutes while the sauce reduces a little.
- Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Lightly brown them in a separate skillet with just a touch of olive oil. Turn and brown the other sides. Do not overcook, just brown them.
- Place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet and spread some of the filling on each.
- Bake in a 375 degree F. oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until it is all hot and the eggplant is tender.
MAUREEN ABOOD'S EGGPLANT WITH LAMB, TOMATO AND PINE NUTS
With its layers of golden eggplant, cinnamon-scented lamb, and sweet tomato sauce topped with melted cheese, this traditional Lebanese dish is made for celebratory meals and gatherings. Even better, it's just as good served warm or room temperature as it is hot from the oven. It also reheats well, meaning that you can bake it the day before, and reheat it before serving if you like. Pull it out of the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature for an hour, then reheat it covered for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories dinner, lunch, casseroles, main course
Time 2h
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Heat broiler and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
- Brush both sides of eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Arrange slices on prepared baking sheet and broil in batches until they are deep mahogany brown, turning once halfway through, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
- Adjust the oven to 375 degrees with rack positioned in the center.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, but not browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground lamb or beef, stirring frequently and breaking up meat into very small pieces with the side of a metal spoon. Season with remaining teaspoon salt, cinnamon and pepper. Sauté until meat is just cooked through. Taste and add more salt or pepper, or both, as needed.
- In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add pine nuts and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir nuts to coat them with butter and continue stirring constantly until nuts are golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Keep a close watch over the nuts; they can burn quickly once they begin to brown. Transfer nuts to a bowl while still warm and salt them lightly.
- Coat a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish. Lay 1/3 of the eggplant slices in a single layer over the sauce, covering as much surface area of the bottom of the dish as possible. Spoon half the meat evenly over eggplant. Pour 1/3 of the remaining tomato sauce evenly over meat. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the pine nuts. Layer again with eggplant, meat, tomato sauce and pine nuts. Finish with a layer of eggplant and cover with more tomato sauce, sprinkling top with pine nuts.
- Pour 1 cup warm water around the perimeter of the baking dish. (Sauce will thicken as it bakes.) Cover pan with foil and bake for 90 minutes. Remove foil and top eggplant evenly with mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes longer, uncovered, or until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Serve eggplant warm, over rice.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 478, UnsaturatedFat 20 grams, Carbohydrate 18 grams, Fat 37 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 23 grams, SaturatedFat 13 grams, Sodium 854 milligrams, Sugar 10 grams, TransFat 0 grams
STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH LAMB AND PINE NUTS
A rich, unctuous dish, adapted from "Jerusalem: A Cookbook", by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. Best served with simple sides, like rice or bread and Middle Eastern pickled vegetables.
Provided by zeldaz51
Categories Lamb/Sheep
Time 2h
Yield 2 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 425. Place eggplant halves, skin side down, in an ovenproof pan that holds them snugly. Brush the flesh with half the olive oil and season with 1/4 teaspoons salt and plenty of black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly in the pan.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375 after removing the pan of eggplant.
- While the eggplants roast, start the stuffing: heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan. Mix together the cumin, paprika, and ground cinnamon and add half the mixed spices to the pan, along with the onions. Cook on medium for about 8 minutes, stirring often so spices don't burn, then add the lamb, pine nuts, parsley, tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar, 1/4 teaspoons salt, and some black pepper. Continue to cook and stir another 8 minutes to cook the meat through.
- Place the remaining half of the spice mix in a bowl and add the water, lemon juice, tamarind, the remaining 1/2 teaspoons sugar, the cinnamon stick, and 1/4 teaspoons salt. Mix well and pour this mixture into the bottom of the eggplant baking pan.
- Spoon the lamb mixture on top of the eggplant halves. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, return to the oven, and bake for 75 to 90 minutes,basting the eggplants with the sauce every 30 minutes and adding more water if necessary. The eggplants should be completely soft and the sauce thick at the end of the cooking time. Allow to cool slightly before serving, or serve at room temperature.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 441.7, Fat 33.6, SaturatedFat 8.2, Cholesterol 41.5, Sodium 68.9, Carbohydrate 25.9, Fiber 11.8, Sugar 11.4, Protein 14.4
STUFFED EGGPLANT
So delicious! Great as a main course but you can buy the mini eggplant and use them as a side dish or appetizer! A must try!
Provided by Elaina
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian
Time 1h
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Scoop out the flesh of the eggplant, chop, and reserve. Season shells with salt and pepper, and coat with some olive oil; set aside.
- Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Saute sausage and garlic until sausage is evenly brown. Stir in the reserved chopped eggplant. Season with parsley, salt and pepper. Pour in wine, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. If mixture is dry, stir in more olive oil. Stuff mixture into eggplant shells, and sprinkle top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 976.5 calories, Carbohydrate 51.6 g, Cholesterol 97.9 mg, Fat 69.7 g, Fiber 7.7 g, Protein 31 g, SaturatedFat 19.6 g, Sodium 2082.4 mg, Sugar 7.1 g
Tips:
- Select the Best Eggplant: Choose firm, plump eggplants with smooth, unblemished skin. Avoid those with bruises or wrinkles.
- Properly Prepare the Eggplant: To prevent bitterness, salt the eggplant slices and let them rest for 30 minutes. This helps draw out excess moisture and reduces their bitterness.
- Cook the Lamb Thoroughly: Ensure the lamb is cooked thoroughly to prevent any potential foodborne illnesses. Use a meat thermometer to check that it has reached an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) for medium-rare or 160°F (71°C) for medium.
- Toast the Pine Nuts: Toasting the pine nuts enhances their flavor and adds a nutty crunch to the dish. Keep a close eye on them as they can burn quickly.
- Use Fresh Herbs: Fresh herbs like parsley, mint, and cilantro add a burst of flavor to the dish. If you don't have fresh herbs on hand, you can use dried herbs, but reduce the quantity by half.
- Control the Heat: Eggplants tend to absorb a lot of oil, so it's important to control the heat when frying them. Medium heat is ideal to prevent them from burning or becoming too oily.
Conclusion:
Stuffed eggplant is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed as a main course or a side dish. Its combination of savory lamb, aromatic spices, and tender eggplant makes it a flavorful and satisfying meal. By following the tips and techniques mentioned above, you can create a delightful stuffed eggplant dish that will impress your family and friends. Whether you're a seasoned cook or just starting out, this recipe is a great way to explore the vibrant flavors of Middle Eastern cuisine.
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