Eggplants stuffed with Lamb, Rice and Zesty Herbs

One of the things I love most about food and cooking is that certain tastes and smells can take you back to a different time and place. This weekend I wanted to create this stuffed eggplant dish because it was a common meal that my mother used to make when I lived at home and I loved it.   She never recorded her recipe and I never learned exactly how she used to make these meat stuffed eggplants but I think she would have liked the version I came up with. I decided to use lean ground lamb which gave this dish a rich flavor and went very well with the mint and orange zest I had on hand.  This dish brought back many fond memories of weeknight meals with my family growing up. It proved to be a hit and I can not wait to make it again soon!


Ingredients

4 medium sized eggplants
5 oz lean ground lamb
1 cup basmati brown rice
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 yellow onion- diced
2 cloves of garlic-chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
zest of 1 orange
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bay leaf




Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Slice the eggplants in half and score them making sure not to slice the outside skin. Drizzle       the eggplants with half the olive oil and salt. Bake for 25 minutes or until soft in the center.
3. Meanwhile, on the stove top, heat a large deep pan. Add remaining olive oil and sauté garlic and onion for 5-6 minutes on medium heat until lightly caramelized.
4. Add the ground lamb and cook until it is no longer pink.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Stir in rice and chicken stock and bay leaf.
7. Cover for 20 minutes and cook on medium heat.
8. After 20 minutes uncover the lamb and rice mixture and continue to cook until rice is al dente and liquid is almost evaporated.
9. Remove eggplants from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
10. Scoop the center of the eggplants and add to the lamb and rice mixture reserving the skins for later.
11. Add the half the orange zest and half the herbs to the pan and gently stir until all ingredients are well incorporated. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
12. Remove the bay leaf and get ready to stuff the eggplant shells.
13. Using a tablespoon stuff a good amount of filling into each eggplant shell.
14. Turn the oven setting to broil and on the top shelf broil the eggplants until golden brown. Make sure not to walk away from the oven as this takes little time.
15. Garnish the eggplants with the remaining zest and herbs.
16. Enjoy!





Happy Monday everyone!

A