Aaaaahhh, Mediterranean comfort food! Think of this as a heady, warmly spiced alternative to your mom’s stuffed bell pepper. The baked eggplant flesh becomes a tender bed for the luscious meat and rice filling, and the whole is so succulent and moist that no sauce is needed. Some chilled sliced cucumber and onion with olive oil and vinegar would be a good starter or side dish.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　

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

　　

Lamb and Rice Filling

Step 1

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

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

　　

Step 3

Combine all the ingredients except the eggplants in a small bowl.

　　

Step 4

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

Step 5

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.

　　Cooks' Note

　　After you’ve made this recipe once, you may want to embellish the filling a bit with some additional ingredients, such as toasted pine nuts, artichoke hearts, or a handful of lightly soaked currants. Or you may want to vary the herbs with oregano, cilantro, or mint. I’ve also added some small cubes of feta cheese.

　　From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.