Serve cold as a first course.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　12 very small (3–3 1/2-inch) eggplants

　　Rice filling or rice-and-chickpea filling (page 307)

　　1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　1/2 pound tomatoes, thinly sliced

　　

Step 1

Cut off the stem ends of the eggplants and reserve to use as “corks.” Hollow them, using an apple corer or a special tool for hollowing vegetables (you find them in Arab markets). Insert the corer through the cut end and push it in as far as possible, making sure that you don’t break through the other end, and twisting it to loosen the pulp and pull it out. Repeat to make a reasonably large hole. (Use up the discarded flesh for another dish, such as a stew or a salad.)

　　

Step 2

Prepare one of the fillings in a bowl, using raw rice. Stuff the eggplants only three-quarters full, to allow the rice to expand. Close the openings with the reserved “corks.”

　　

Step 3

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan. Cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of sliced tomatoes and arrange the stuffed eggplants in layers on top. Cover with another layer of tomato slices, and pour the remaining olive oil all over. Add water to cover the vegetables, and simmer over very low heat, covered, for 30–45 minutes, or until the eggplants and their fillings are cooked, adding a little more water if necessary. The liquid should be very much reduced by the end of cooking. Remove the lid to evaporate it if necessary.

　　

Step 4

Allow to cool in the saucepan, and turn out onto a serving dish.

　　

Variation

Step 5

In the rice-and-chickpea filling, the chickpeas may be replaced by chopped walnuts.

　　The New Book of Middle Eastern Food Copyright © 2000Knopf