Eggplant Stuffed With Rice And Tomato Food

EGGPLANT STUFFED WITH RICE AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• These savory stuffed eggplants are filled to perfection with a hearty and meat-free combination of aromatic Mahatma® Basmati Rice, fresh herbs, spices and rich tomato sauce. Step 1
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Step 2
• Using a spoon, scoop out center of each eggplant half, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edges; reserve pulp. Sprinkle eggplant shells with salt. Transfer to baking tray, cut side down. Finely chop reserved eggplant pulp. Set aside. Step 3
• In an ovenproof high-sided skillet set over medium heat, cook 1 tbsp oil and tomato paste, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in puréed tomatoes and broth; bring to boil. Transfer 3 cups tomato sauce to separate bowl; set aside. Add rice to remaining tomato sauce in skillet; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 15 to 18 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Step 4
• In a separate large skillet set over medium heat, heat 1/4 cup oil; add eggplant pulp, onion and garlic. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in paprika, cumin, coriander, allspice and cinnamon. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until well combined and fragrant. Season with pepper. Let cool slightly. Step 5
• In a small bowl, stir together cilantro, mint and parsley. Reserve 2 tbsp; set aside. Stir remaining herbs and lemon juice into eggplant mixture. Step 6
• Spoon reserved tomato sauce into the bottom of a 13×9-inch baking pan. Arrange eggplants, cut side up, on tomato sauce (sauce should come about halfway up sides of eggplants; add a splash of water if needed). Step 7
• Drizzle with remaining olive oil; cover with foil and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until eggplant has softened. Step 8
• Mix together cooked rice with cooked eggplant mixture; spoon into eggplant shells. Bake uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Step 9
• Serve tomato sauce onto serving plates; arrange stuffed eggplants on top. Sprinkle with reserved cilantro mixture. Flavor Tip Serve with a garlicky tahini sauce to drizzle over top. To make this dish completely vegan, instead of using chicken broth, use vegetable broth as you would if making vegan paella.

EGGPLANT STUFFED WITH RICE AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cut the eggplants in half. With a grapefruit spoon or a small knife, remove the flesh to within 1/2 inch of the skins.
• Sprinkle the eggplant shells with salt, and let sit for 30 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Chop the flesh, and steam for 20 minutes, until tender.
• In a large bowl, combine a third of the tomatoes, the steamed eggplant, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, all but 1 clove of the garlic, the rice, herbs and the juice of one of the lemons. Season with salt and pepper.
• Oil a large flameproof casserole or an earthenware casserole set over a flame tamer. Combine the remaining tomatoes, olive oil, allspice, cinnamon, lemon juice, sugar, tomato paste and remaining garlic in the casserole. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fill the eggplant shells with the rice mixture, and arrange in the casserole in a single layer. Add water if necessary to cover about a third of the eggplant. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, cover tightly and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 45 minutes to an hour until the eggplant and rice are tender. Remove from the heat.
• Using two spatulas (the eggplants are soft at this point), transfer the eggplants to a platter. Bring the sauce to a boil. If it is not already thick, reduce until thick and fragrant. Pour over the eggplants, and allow to cool to warm or room temperature. They're good chilled as well. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or cilantro if desired.

TOMATOES STUFFED WITH RICE

Steps:

• Cook the rice in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, stirring periodically, until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain. Rinse the rice under cold running water. Set the rice aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut a 1/2-inch thick slice off the top of each tomato; reserve the tomato tops. Cut and scoop the seeds, pulp, and juice from each tomato into a small bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the tomato juice and pulp.
• Oil the bottom of an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Place the hollowed tomatoes in the prepared dish.
• Toss the rice with the reserved tomato juice and pulp. Add garlic, basil, parsley, Parmesan, the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Combine well.
• Spoon the rice mixture into the hollowed tomatoes, mounding slightly. Sprinkle leftover stuffing on the bottom of the pan. Drizzle entire dish with olive oil. Place the reserved tomato slices atop the tomatoes. Bake until the rice is heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

EGGPLANT STIR-FRY OVER RICE

Steps:

• Bring water and rice to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add eggplant, zucchini, and 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add tomato but do not stir in. Sprinkle in peanuts, cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
• Put rice onto serving plates and add extra soy sauce if desired. Top with vegetable mixture.

YUMMY STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH MEAT AND RICE

Steps:

• Cut the stem ends from the eggplants.
• Halve the eggplants lengthwise.
• Peel if desired; if the eggplant is fresh, there is no need to peel it.
• Use a spoon to scoop out the centers, leaving boat-shaped shells.
• Keep the flesh you scooped out to add to the stuffing.
• Sprinkle the shells with salt.
• Put them in a colander upside down and leave to drain for 1/2 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees C.
• Prepare the stuffing: Add the rice to 3 cups boiling salted water and boil for 10 minutes until not quite tender.
• Rinse under cold running water and drain well.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and cook over low heat until soft but not brown.
• Leave to cool.
• Mix with the beef, parsley, cumin, turmeric and almonds.
• Chop the flesh removed from the eggplant.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil, add the chopped eggplant and sprinkle with salt.
• Saute over medium-low heat, stirring often, until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Leave to cool and mix with the stuffing.
• Taste for seasoning; if you prefer not to taste a mixture that contains raw beef, broil or microwave a teaspoon of the mixture and taste it for seasoning.
• Rinse the eggplant shells, pat them dry and put them in a baking dish.
• Fill them with the stuffing.
• Mix the tomato paste with 1/4 cup water and spoon the mixture over the eggplant.
• Add enough water to the dish to cover the eggplant by one third.
• Add the garlic to the dish.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon oil over the eggplant.
• Cover and bake 15 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to 350 F and continue baking, covered, 15 more minutes.
• Uncover and bake, basting occasionally, 30 minutes or until the eggplant is very tender.

TURKISH STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH SPICY LAMB AND RICE

Steps:

• Lamb and Rice Filling
• Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, then add the onion and pepper, stir, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and crumble in the ground meat. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, for 5-6 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color and the mixture is starting to dry out and brown a little in the pan. Tilt the pan and spoon out any excess fat from the lamb. Sprinkle in the seasonings, stir, then add the tomatoes and puree, then the stock. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to dissolve the brown bits that have accumulated. Add the rice and herbs, and stir and cook a couple of minutes, until warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. When the filling is well mixed, moist, and flavorful-but not wet-remove it from the heat and let it cool.
• Eggplant
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Combine all the ingredients except the eggplants in a small bowl.
• Cut the stem end from each eggplant, then cut it in half lengthwise. Take a look at the flesh, and if it is creamy white and not too seedy, don't worry about salting it. However, if it is a little darker, with numerous seeds, there's a good chance the juices will be slightly bitter, so you'll want to extract them. To do this, sprinkle the cut sides with about a teaspoon of salt each and place them cut side down on a plate or tray lined with a double thickness of paper towels. Place another plate or tray on top and weight that with a couple of pounds (cans of beans work well). Set aside for 10-15 minutes, then remove the weight and brush the salt off the surface, or rinse with running water and pat dry. Cut a shallow crosshatch pattern in the cut surface of the eggplant and brush generously with the flavored oil. Place the eggplant halves cut sides up on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once, until the eggplants are very soft when you squeeze the sides and the surface is golden brown. Cool completely.
• To Assemble
• With your fingers or a spoon, press the tender eggplant flesh to the sides, making a bed for the filling. Divide the filling among the halves. Sprinkle the bread crumb topping evenly over the filling and pat it lightly. Bake the filled eggplants for about 15 minutes, or until they're heated through and the crumbs are browned.

STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH CHEESE AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Place eggplant in a large pot filled with water; bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until tender.
• Drain eggplant and allow to cool enough to be handled.
• Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet or pan with foil.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat; saute the tomatoes, garlic and onion until the onion is golden (about 5 minutes).
• Cut cooled eggplant in half lengthwise and remove the flesh.
• Chop up the flesh and add it to the pan with the onion-garlic-tomato mixture.
• Stir in the cheese, salt pepper, cinnamon, parsley, and oregano and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Remove mixture from heat; place eggplant shells on baking sheet and fill with this mixture.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and the eggplant starts to brown.
• Remove from the oven; top with hot tomato or pasta sauce and cheese.