Stuffed Eggplant

Eggplant Harvest

I’m so happy that my few surviving eggplant plants (is that the right phrase to use?) actually are producing eggplants. I know most people just expect to sow eggplant seeds, wait a bit and then harvest eggplants. That’s not been my experience. But I’m in no mood to dwell on the negative. This post is all about the positive – positively enjoying eggplants.

I have harvested so many eggplants this year (i.e., more than 1) that I decided to branch out and try making something I’ve never made with store-bought eggplants: stuffed eggplants. As always, I did some flicking through cookbooks and surfing the internet and came up with a combination that suited me, my ingredients and my taste. I also looked around my garden for what’s ripe and threw some odds and ends in there from my harvest. That’s the beauty of stuffed anything, you can modify the stuffing to suit you.

Here’s my not-t00-hard (but not-too-speedy) stuffed eggplant recipe:

1) Halve 2 eggplants and scoop out the centres leaving enough flesh to support the skin.

2) Dice then saute the eggplant flesh until it’s soft (about 10 mins).

3) Saute:

• 100 grams of mince (I use 50/50 beef and pork but you can make this vegetarian by using quinoa, cous cous or rice as a filler rather than meat, just boil them as normal rather than sauteing them)
• 1 diced onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• vegetables of your choice (I selected from my garden: capsicum, zucchini, carrot and chilli) to add a bit of variety to the taste – eggplant can be pretty bland
• seasoning to taste (I used salt, pepper & cumin)

4) Mix together:

• mince concoction from above
• sauteed eggplant from above
• herbs of your choice (I went to the garden and harvested basil, oregano and parsley)
• 1 egg (thank you Rosie)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 cup bread crumbs (or enough to make the mixture stick together well)

5) Fill the emptied eggplant shells with the mixture.

6) Top eggplant halves with chopped tomatoes and a sprinkle of cheese (any cheese will work).

7) Bake at 180 C (350 F) for 45 minutes.

I’m not saying I don’t like my ratatouille but, wow, this is a great way to serve eggplants. The filling is delicious. The one drawback is that the skin is a bit tough. I notice that with pretty much every way I’ve ever eaten eggplant unless you cook it to death. In this recipe you want the shell to hold its shape so I guess you’re stuck with a bit of eggplant leather. If anyone has any idea how to combat that downside, I’d be all ears.

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