Stuffed Baby Eggplant

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Show: Food 911Episode: A Turkish Wager

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (8)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(8)

Cook Time:
50 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
4 to 6 servings

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 50 min
Total:: 1 hr 20 min

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Ingredients

8 baby eggplants, about the size of a lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 shallots, minced
4 garlic cloves
2 pounds ground lamb
3 large vine-ripe tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, reserve some for garnish
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 lemon, sliced paper-thin

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a paring knife, cut a wedge out of each eggplant, from stem to base, just large enough to stick a spoon inside and scoop out the flesh inside. Discard the flesh you scoop out.

Coat a large saute pan with the oil and place over medium flame. Lightly fry the eggplants on all sides, until slightly charred and blistered; remove to a platter and set aside.

Return the pan to the heat and add the shallots and garlic, saute for 5 minutes, until soft and golden brown. Add the ground lamb to the pan and brown the meat well, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomatoes, combine well, and let simmer for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Toss in a couple of handfuls of the parsley, the mint, and lemon juice; continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the stuffing cool slightly. Using a spoon, stuff the lamb filling into the eggplants until they feel full, but not overly packed.

Arrange the eggplants in a single layer in a large saucepan, pour the chicken stock over them and lay the lemon slices on top of each eggplant, drizzle with some more olive oil. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until fork tender. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Stuffed Baby Eggplant
Nada Houston, TX 11-02-2009
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Modified Vegetarian Version
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I liked all elements of this recipe (except the meat) so, I figured I would substitue soft tofu for the meat and make use of... the eggplant scrapings for the filling, I also used veggie stock instead of meat stock. I scrambled the soft tofu and diced up the eggplant scrapings...it was the perfect consistency for the filing. I would recommend using half canned tomatoes and half fresh tomatoes though to get more of a liquidy tomato sauce. In addition added a touch of ketchup to the tomatoe sauce as I used fresh tomatoes and they were a little sour tasting. All in all the recipe turned out good. I will probably try it again. Read more
recipe Stuffed Baby Eggplant
Foodie Alexandria, VA 08-31-2009
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"Egyptianizing" a wonderful recepie!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I added/changed a few things to this recepie to make it a little more Egyptian vs. Turkish:) Substitutions: 1 medium onion... instead of shallots beef instead of lamb (just a preference) Additions: 1 lime instead of lemon 1 teaspoon of lemon dried lemon peel spice 1 cup of brown rice 1/2 cup of watter Potatoes, Onions and Tomatoes for stuffing if desired! The addition of the brown rice adds about an hour and 10 minutes to the oven time and a little more work up front but it makes for a nice complete dish:) Before adding the beef/lamb to the sauteed onions, add the rice and toast it for a couple minutes. Then add the 1/2 cup of water and pre cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the meat and brown it in the same pot as identified in the recepie. Add the rest of the ingredients (tomatoes, spices, lime juice) and let the mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes until most of the water is gone. In the oven, allow the eggplant (and onions and potatoes if you choose to stuff them as well) to bake at 350 for 2 hours. The brown rice holds its form well (doesn't get mushy), but cooks slowly. I use clay stoneware to cook, so cooking time may vary if you are using a pot as called for in Tyler's recepie. Overall, I loved this and I am so glad that he put an authentic and elegant dish out here for all of us to enjoy.Read more
recipe Stuffed Baby Eggplant
Mine Greenville, NC 08-16-2006
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Fabulous & Authentic!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I am a first generation Turkish gal who travels back to Turkey twice a year. This recipe is written just as it should be.... Plain fabulous! I make KARNI YARIK (kudos to Tyler for pronouncing it correctly during the show) once a month. My husband does not like lamb so often I will substiture ground beef. You can always use onions instead of shallots. I have a vegetarian friend. I fixed it for her using some of the pulp and finely diced sauteed carrots, she loves it. Turkish people love the skin of the eggplant. I usually observe my American dinner guests avoiding the skin and some of them ask why I don't remove it? Because if I did, the whole thing would fall apart, skin is flavorful too.Read more
recipe Stuffed Baby Eggplant
helen toronto, ON 02-13-2006
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heavenly eggplant
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I've had this recipe hanging around for a while and decided to give it a try when I came across some small (much too small,... really) eggplant. It was time consuming to remove innards because of the tiny size. Nevertheless, it was well worth it. I rate this recipe in the upper stratasphere!!! I've almost finished the dish which I had intended to share. 5 thumbs up!!!Read more
recipe Stuffed Baby Eggplant
Acalya Norfolk, VA 11-08-2005
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GREAT
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

As a Turkish person, I need to say that the recipe is great and also 'Stuffed eggplant' is one of the essential recipes of... Turkish Cuisine. Stuffed eggplant it self is always 5 stars anyways. Even somebody who does not have any talent in the kitchen that is not figuring out what to do with the pulp of the eggplant(geez!) would love the taste. Just give a try and appreciate our super tasty food!Read more
recipe Stuffed Baby Eggplant
Anonymous 07-20-2005
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In response to Sheila's review
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was a very delicious recipe that stays true to its turkish roots. And as for Sheila's comment, the recipe says it's... STUFFED eggplant which means you have to take out the insides in order to STUFF it. You don't have to be a genius in order to figure that out. But I guess in Sheila's case you do. And just because you don't understand such a complicated process (said sarcastically) does not justify rating such a good recipe you haven't even tried 3 stars.Read more