So by now, you all likely know I love stuffed foods. I’m gonna guess this is like my nineteenth time (yes, that many) saying “nothing beats food inside other food!” on this blog. But it’s true… when food can serve as its own bowl while also being part of the meal, that’s kinda amazing… don’t ya think!?
I’ve been really liking eggplant lately. I used to have a slightly hit-and-miss relationship with it- I liked it, but it sometimes made my tongue a little fuzzy feeling and my face cringe a bit. Of course, true to Natalie fashion, I’d always dig in, have more, and keep eating anyway… I thought it was just me I guess (and I never turn down food). Turns out was just me… when reacting to the bitterness of eggplant that has not been sweated! This sweating process, I tell you, is key. You’ve just got to do it. All it takes is sprinkling salt over the eggplant (when it’s cut), letting it sit, and then watching it sweat. Literally, it sweats- moisture drops come out of it just as they do you and I. In addition to pulling the excess moisture out, that process also pulls out a lot of the bitterness that lurks deep withing the eggplant below. Okay, it’s starting to sound like a I’m discussing a swamp monster here… Anyhoo, I recently explained this need for “sweating” in my latest moussaka recipe (HERE), so pardon the repetition if you read about this there, too. But please, do yourself a favor and sweat your eggplant from now on if you don’t already 🙂
This recipe is a fantastic way to incorporate eggplant into an evening’s meal. A simple mixture of ground turkey, onions, garlic, herbs, seasonings, and tomatoes is cooked down and then mixed with the eggplant itself (what gets scooped out to make the “bowls”) and cooked quinoa. It’s a lovely balance of texture, flavor, and of course, health. Happy bellies this made. 🙂
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1 large eggplant
1/2 lb ground turkey (or other meat)
1/4 cup quinoa, uncooked
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium-sized tomatoes (2 for filling, 1 for garnish)
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I used half flat-leaf, half curly- use whatever you have)
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp herbs de Provence
1/16 tsp cinnamon (basically a pinch)
1/16 tsp allspice (pinch)
1/2 tsp salt (divided in half)
1/4 tsp black pepper (divided in half)
3/4 tsp salt for ‘sweating’ the eggplant (will be rinsed off later)
drizzle of olive oil
parsley & Parmesan for garnish, optional
I used tri-color quinoa… you can use any type you have!
In addition to the fresh herbs, these spices are an excellent addition to the meat filling… don’t worry, it’s only a pinch of cinnamon and allspice- just enough to flavor it without being overbearing. I use this flavor combination a lot when cooking ground meats… it’s very Greek-influenced 🙂
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cut eggplant in half, lengthwise, as evenly as possible
Using a small knife, make a small cut around the interior of the eggplant to designate
where you will scoop- just outside the seedy area is usually good… so you have
enough left around the borders to hold the eggplant walls up
Using a spoon, scoop the flesh out- you want a smooth surface with even borders (for even cooking)
Continue until both halves are cleaned out and smooth
Keep the part you scooped out to use in the filling- that’s good eating right there!
(I like to cook with as little food wasted as possible)
Set the eggplant halves aside on a large baking sheet for now
Chop up the eggplant flesh… a rough chop is fine 🙂
Lay on a colander or other breathable surface (I used my steaming basket)
Sprinkle with about 1/4 tsp salt- let sit about 20 minutes to sweat/draw out any bitterness and moisture
Similarly sprinkle about 1/2 tsp over the eggplant halves (about 1/4 each) and let sit for 20 minutes or so
By the time you’re done making the filling, they should be ready
(I love when timing works out perfectly like that!)
Meanwhile, begin prepping the filling…
Chop onion- 1/2 cup is about 1/4 whole onion, depending on its size of course
Drizzle olive oil in a large pan (I love cast iron) over medium heat
Add onions, half of the salt (1/4 tsp) and half of the black pepper (1/8 tsp)
Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring every so often
While the onions are cooking, cut up the tomatoes and garlic
Then add meat, tomatoes, and garlic
Stir in the oregano, herbs de Provence, cinnamon, and allspice
By now, your filling may be looking a little liquidy- no worries, it’s all part of the process!
The quinoa will end up absorbing most of it, and the rest will cook off 🙂
Cook the meat mixture for about 5 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink
Chop fresh herbs… you can play around with what and how much you add- I used equal
parts curly parsley, flat-leak parsley, and basil
Add to meat mixture
Switch gears for a second and start the quinoa… this way, you’re timing will work out just right
Add 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa to 1/2 cup water and let come to a boil
Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for about 10 minutes
Okay, back to the meat- you can finish the filling off while the quinoa cooks…
Rinse the eggplant halves and chopped eggplant flesh- you want all of the moisture
that was drawn out through the sweating process to come off
Pat dry the eggplant halves
Add the chopped eggplant to the meat filling
You can now turn off the heat- the eggplant will soften in the hot pan without any added heat
Stir the eggplant into the mixture
Now add the remaining salt and pepper (1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper)- you may want to
taste as you do this to make sure you like the balances of flavors
If it’s easier for you to add all of the salt and pepper at once in the beginning, go ahead- I’m just a bit of a
weirdo and like to salt things in layers so I know how they taste along the way 🙂
Once the quinoa is done (you’ll know by either tasting it or if little sprouts have started forming)
Stir well, until all ingredients are evenly mixed
Now you’re ready to stuff!
Fill the two eggplant halves will the filling mixture
It’s up to you how full you want them- I left a teeny filling out so that they wold be filled right to the rim
(I ate the remaining couple spoonfuls the next day, but stuff into a little zucchini!)
Top each half with about 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Set eggplant in a large baking dish
(A sheet won’t work as it needs to be covered)
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes
Then remove foil and place back in the oven for 20 minutes more
Slice the remaining tomato and place on the eggplant halves
Then bake for 10 minutes more
All in all, you’ll have 1 hour cooking time… 30 minutes with foil,
20 minutes without foil, 10 minutes at the end with tomatoes on top!
Serve immediately
Top with fresh parsley leaves and Parmesan, if desired
Enjoy!!
I am making this for dinner tonight! So excited – can’t wait! 🙂