Eggplant And Bulgur Stuffed Vegetables Food

BULGUR-STUFFED SUMMER VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the bulgur in a heatproof bowl. In a sauce pan, bring the chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. When the liquid has come to a boil, pour over the bulgur. Let sit until the bulgur absorbs the liquid, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prep the vegetables: Cut off the top third of the bell peppers. Remove the seeds and ribs leaving a 'cup' for the stuffing. Dice the flesh from the top 1/3 and reserve. Cut a 1/3 of the zucchini lengthwise to reveal the seeds. Scoop out the seeds to create a boat. Dice the remaining 1/3 pieces. Slice the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds to create a cup.
• In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sweat until translucent. Add the reserved chopped peppers, squash, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the cooked vegetables, if necessary, and add to the cooked bulgur.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper on the inside of the vegetable 'cups.' Stuff the vegetables with the bulgur mixture, place in a shallow baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, then bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is brown and melted.

STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Scoop out the flesh of the eggplant, chop, and reserve. Season shells with salt and pepper, and coat with some olive oil; set aside.
• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Saute sausage and garlic until sausage is evenly brown. Stir in the reserved chopped eggplant. Season with parsley, salt and pepper. Pour in wine, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. If mixture is dry, stir in more olive oil. Stuff mixture into eggplant shells, and sprinkle top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

EGGPLANT-AND-BULGUR-STUFFED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Heat skillet over moderate heat until hot, then cook eggplant, turning occasionally with tongs, until blackened on all sides and tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, peel eggplant, then cut flesh into 1/2-inch pieces.
• While eggplant cooks, core tomatoes and cut off top 1/2 inch from each. Cut tops into 1/4-inch dice and set aside. Scoop out insides of tomatoes with a melon-ball cutter or a spoon into a medium-mesh sieve set over a bowl, leaving shells intact. Force pulp and juice through sieve, discarding seeds. Add enough water to juice to total 2 cups and set aside. Sprinkle tomato shells with 1/4 teaspoon salt, then invert onto a rack set in a shallow baking pan and drain 20 minutes.
• Scoop flesh from zucchini halves into a bowl using a melon-ball cutter or spoon, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Coarsely chop flesh and set aside.
• Cook chopped zucchini and onion in 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add bulgur, sugar, allspice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until bulgur is coated, about 1 minute. Add juice mixture, diced tomatoes, and currants and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cover skillet, then let stand until liquid is absorbed and bulgur is tender, about 10 minutes.
• While bulgur stands, put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Arrange tomato and zucchini shells, cut sides up, in an oiled 15- by 10-inch shallow baking pan. Brush insides of shells with oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon pepper (total), then sprinkle zucchini only with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Put bell pepper halves in an oiled 13- by 9-inch baking pan, then brush insides with some oil and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Stir eggplant pieces, 2 tablespoons parsley, and salt and pepper to taste into bulgur mixture. Spoon stuffing into vegetable shells, then drizzle stuffing with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and cover pans loosely with foil.
• Bake, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until vegetable shells are just tender but not falling apart, 20 to 30 minutes for tomatoes and zucchini and 30 to 40 minutes for bell peppers. Cool vegetables to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley just before serving.

MEAT-STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh to make a shell about 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Finely chop the flesh and set aside.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in the onion, and cook until it begins to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Crumble in the ground beef, and pour the wine over the meat. Cook, breaking up the beef with the back of a wooden spoon, until the meat releases its juices and they then cook away, about 6 or 7 minutes. Add the bell pepper and chopped eggplant, and season with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Scrape into a bowl to cool.
• Pour the milk over the bread cubes in a small bowl. Once the bread has softened, squeeze out the excess milk and put the bread in the bowl with the cooled meat filling. Add the grated cheese, parsley, egg, and tomatoes, and mix well.
• Put the eggplant halves in a large baking dish, and drizzle with the remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon salt, and toss well to coat all of the eggplant with the oil. Fill the eggplant halves with the filling, and arrange snugly in the baking dish. Cover the dish with foil, and bake until the eggplant is tender all the way through, about 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover, and bake until the top of the filling is browned and crispy, about 10 minutes more.