Eggplant With Bulgur Food

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.

YOTAM OTTOLENGHI'S CHERMOULA EGGPLANT WITH BULGUR AND YOGURT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• To make the chermoula, mix together in a small bowl the garlic, cumin, coriander, chili, paprika, preserved lemon, two-thirds of the olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Score the flesh of each half with deep, diagonal crisscross cuts, making sure not to pierce the skin. Spoon the chermoula over each half, spreading it evenly, and place the eggplant halves on a baking sheet, cut side up. Put in the oven and roast for 40 minutes, or until the eggplants are completely soft.
• Meanwhile, place the bulgur in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water.
• Soak the raisins in the warm water. After 10 minutes, drain the raisins and add them to the bulgur, along with the remaining oil. Add the herbs, olives, almonds, green onions, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
• Serve the eggplants warm or at room temperature. Place 1/2 eggplant, cut side up, on each individual plate. Spoon the bulgur on top, allowing some to fall from both sides. Spoon over some yogurt, sprinkle with cilantro and finish with a drizzle of oil.

EGGPLANT, BULGUR AND TOMATO CASSEROLE WITH YOGURT TOPPING

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until onion is tender, about 5 minutes, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about a minute, and add the tomatoes, salt to taste, pepper, sugar, cinnamon, paprika and allspice. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook until the tomatoes are bubbling. Stir together, turn the heat back to medium-low, partly cover and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and the sauce is thick and fragrant, 25 to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from the heat. If your sauce is chunky, either put it through a food mill or pulse it in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the eggplant in lengthwise slices. Sprinkle slices with salt and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes (this step is optional). Meanwhile, cook the bulgur. Bring 2 cups water with salt to taste to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the bulgur, and when the water comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until all of the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, place a clean dish towel over the pan and cover with the lid. Let the bulgur sit while you roast the eggplant.
• Rinse the eggplant slices and pat dry. Line baking sheets with foil and brush the foil with olive oil. Lay the eggplant slices on the foil, brush lightly with oil and place in the hot oven. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until eggplant is beginning to brown, switching the baking sheets halfway through. Remove from the oven and fold the aluminum up over the eggplant slices so that they continue to steam and soften in the foil envelope as they cool completely. They should be thoroughly tender by the time they cool. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Oil a 3-quart baking dish. Spread a small amount of tomato sauce on the bottom, and spoon in half of the bulgur in an even layer. Cover the bulgur with eggplant slices and spread about half the remaining tomato sauce over the eggplant. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the tomato sauce. Repeat the layers, but don't sprinkle on another 2 tablespoons of Parmesan. If you have extra eggplant slices, make a top layer of them, on top of the tomato sauce.
• Beat together the eggs, yogurt and 2 tablespoons of the remaining Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Spoon over the top in an even layer and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Place in the oven and bake 30 to 40 minutes, until golden. Remove from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes or longer before serving.