TURKISH STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH SPICY LAMB AND RICE

Turkish Stuffed Eggplant with Spicy Lamb and Rice image

Categories Bread Sauce Lamb Rice Side Bake Eggplant

Yield makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 26

Ingredients

Lamb and Rice Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 small poblano pepper, seeded and diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
6-8 ounces ground lamb, or a combination of lamb and beef
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, allspice, and cumin
1 cup diced tomatoes, canned or fresh (peeled and seeded)
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1/4 cup Chicken Stock (p. 206), lamb stock, beef stock, or water
2 cups cooked rice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill, optional
Eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon paprika or Aleppo pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional for salting the eggplant if necessary
2 medium to large eggplants (about 2 pounds total)
To Assemble
Cooked eggplant
Lamb and rice filling
1/4 cup Cheesy Bread Crumb Topping (p. 42), or plain dry bread crumbs moistened with a little olive oil

Steps:

Lamb and Rice Filling
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, then add the onion and pepper, stir, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and crumble in the ground meat. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, for 5-6 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color and the mixture is starting to dry out and brown a little in the pan. Tilt the pan and spoon out any excess fat from the lamb. Sprinkle in the seasonings, stir, then add the tomatoes and puree, then the stock. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to dissolve the brown bits that have accumulated. Add the rice and herbs, and stir and cook a couple of minutes, until warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. When the filling is well mixed, moist, and flavorful-but not wet-remove it from the heat and let it cool.
Eggplant
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Combine all the ingredients except the eggplants in a small bowl.
Cut the stem end from each eggplant, then cut it in half lengthwise. Take a look at the flesh, and if it is creamy white and not too seedy, don't worry about salting it. However, if it is a little darker, with numerous seeds, there's a good chance the juices will be slightly bitter, so you'll want to extract them. To do this, sprinkle the cut sides with about a teaspoon of salt each and place them cut side down on a plate or tray lined with a double thickness of paper towels. Place another plate or tray on top and weight that with a couple of pounds (cans of beans work well). Set aside for 10-15 minutes, then remove the weight and brush the salt off the surface, or rinse with running water and pat dry. Cut a shallow crosshatch pattern in the cut surface of the eggplant and brush generously with the flavored oil. Place the eggplant halves cut sides up on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once, until the eggplants are very soft when you squeeze the sides and the surface is golden brown. Cool completely.
To Assemble
With your fingers or a spoon, press the tender eggplant flesh to the sides, making a bed for the filling. Divide the filling among the halves. Sprinkle the bread crumb topping evenly over the filling and pat it lightly. Bake the filled eggplants for about 15 minutes, or until they're heated through and the crumbs are browned.