Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants, halved lengthways
1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
500 g ground beef or 500 g ground pork or 500 g ground chicken
1 tablespoon moroccan seasoning
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon sugar
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 lebanese cucumbers
250 g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon coriander leaves
1 teaspoon olive oil ( to taste)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar ( to taste)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 C.
Using a small knife and a spoon, carefully remove the flesh from the eggplant halves without breaking the skin, and chop the flesh coarsely.
Place the eggplant halves onto a baking tray, cut side up, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil and bake for 10-15 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan, over a medium heat, and saute the eggplant flesh for 3-5 minutes, until it is golden and tender; remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, heat the remaining oil over a high heat and saute the onion and garlic for 1 minute, then add the ground meat and cook for 4-5 minutes, until it is well browned, breaking up the lumps as it browns with the back of a spoon.
Return the eggplant to the pan, add the Moroccan seasoning and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir in the tomato, pine nuts and sugar and season to taste.
Fill the eggplant halves with the meat mixture and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and tender.
Serve with the tomato and cucumber salad and fresh crusty bread.
Tomato and Cucumber Salad: Chop the cucumber and toss the cucumber pieces and halved cherry tomatoes with the olive oil and red wine vinegar and season to taste.
Servings: Serve
Time preparation: 10 min.
Time total: 65 min.