Eggplant marrakech

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 mediums Or large eggplants
1 cup Finely chopped onions
2 Garlic cloves; pressed or minced
¼ teaspoon Ground red pepper or Berbere
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon Ground cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon Ground cloves
2 Chopped tomatoes
½ cup Vermicelli; broken into short pieces
1 cup Water
1 cup Cooked brown rice
1 cup Cooked chick peas
½ cup Raisins
3 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
¼ cup Chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Pimiento strips

Directions

I made these two recipes over the weekend - they're from Sundays at Moosewood cookbook, with appropriate changes to make them. I really like exotic recipes so I enjoy this cookbook a lot - my husband just loves these 2 recipes - he keeps teasing me that all they need to be perfect is some chunks of lamb! Anyway, here they are: Leaving the stems on, slice the eggplants in half lengthwise and place them, cut side down, on an oiled baking sheet. Covered them with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, until tender.

"Saute" the onions, garlic and spices until onions are transluent. Stir often to prevent spices from burning. Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer, covered, for 3 or 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot, - here the cookbook says to fry the vermicelli in olive oil for a couple of minutes until the color changed to golden-brown - I sprayed a pan with Pam and did the same - I really think you could just skip this, I don't think it made any difference. Anyway, after the frying, immediately add a cup of water, bring it to a boil, and simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes, until the water is absorbed; remove from heat. Add rice, chick peas, and raisins. Stir in the sauteed onion-tomato mixture, lemon juice, and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Turn the baked eggplant halves over in the baking pan. With a fork or spoon, mash the pulp a little, taking care not to break the skin. Push aside some of the pulp to make a hollow. Mound a quarter of the filling on each half. Baked, covered, at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Garnish with pimiento strips (also suggests to sprinkle with feta cheese).

Variation: I didn't feel like making a stuffed eggplant so I sliced the eggplant and broiled it. Then I just mixed it along with everything else to make a wonderful casserole.

Posted to fatfree digest by "Zoe Sodja" <zoe_sodja@...> on Apr 28, 1998

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