Ingredients
Stuffed Eggplant
3 eggplant
500g beef or lamb mince
1 brown onion (finely diced)
1 garlic cloves (crushed)
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup bone broth or stock
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of chilli flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Creamy Tahini Sauce
2 Tbsp greek yoghurt
2 Tbsp tahini
Juice of one lemon
Optional garnish
Coriander
Feta
3 Tbsp pinenuts (toasted)
Method
Stuffed Eggplant
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Cut the eggplant in half lengthways, score inside flesh diagonally with a knife forming a diamond pattern, brush with olive oil. Place the eggplant on a tray, cut side up and sprinkle with salt, pop in the oven to cook for around 30 minutes, the inside flesh should have softened and taken on a golden colour.
2. Add onion to a large pan with the garlic and olive oil. Sauté for 5-10 minute on medium-high heat.
3. Add the mince to the onion for about 5 minutes allowing to brown before adding all the spices, salt and pepper.
4. Next add the bone broth and allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes until the liquid has reduced. The mince shouldn’t be ‘sloppy’ at this point but nor should it be too dry. – add pinenuts and stir through.
5. Once the eggplant has cooked, scoop out the inside keeping skin intact with some flesh still attached. Stir the removed eggplant through the mince mixture. Then add the mince mixture back into the eggplant ‘boats’ and pop back in the oven for about 10 minutes or so, until slightly browned on the top.
Creamy Tahini Sauce
1. To make the sauce whisk together the yoghurt, tahini, and water and drizzle over the eggplant. Garnish with some feta and fresh coriander.
Tips
Sneak in extra vegetables into your meal by adding 1 carrot, 1 zucchini and 1 capsicum to the mince mixture. Simply dice finely and add to the pan alongside the onion, allow the veggies to cook. Make sure all the moisture has evaporated before adding the mince so it can brown nicely.
Variations
Vegertain option –
Replace mince with 1 1/2 cups or can of brown lentils, cook as per recipe however omit the bone broth and replace with 1 Tbsp of tomato paste.
