Eggplants Filled With Sausage Jambalaya Food

EGGPLANT JAMBALAYA RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• In a deep nonreactive saute' pan with a tight-fitting lid, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the yellow onion, bell pepper, celery, and the ham, if using, and saute stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very tender and lightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, and cayenne and cook stirring,, just until the garlic releases its fragrance, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the green onions, the eggplant, tomatoes, stock and rice. Stir well and season with salt and black pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then immediately reduce the heat to low. Stir well, scraping the pan bottom to be sure nothing sticks. Cover tightly and cook, without stirring, for 20 minutes. Uncover and check to see if the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. If not, re-cover and cook for a few minutes longer. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to let stand, still covered, for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and stir lightly with a fork to fluff before serving. Garnish with the remaining green onions.

SAUSAGE-STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Brush cut sides of eggplant with olive oil and place, cut-side up onto a baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then remove and allow to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, brown the Italian sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat; drain off the grease. Place into a mixing bowl, and season with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Stir in bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, and the beaten egg; mix well.
• Once the roasted eggplant has cooled enough to handle, scoop out the flesh to within 1/2-inch of the skin to create a shell. Roughly chop the eggplant meat, and fold into the sausage mixture. Divide evenly among the two eggplant shells, and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until the filling has set, and the cheese is bubbly and golden-brown, about 30 minutes. While the eggplant is baking, warm the remaining spaghetti sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat to serve with the eggplant.

EGGPLANTS FILLED WITH SAUSAGE JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine well the bread crumbs and the Parmesan. In a heavy saucepan combine the rice, 2 cups water, and salt to taste, bring the water to a boil, and cook the rice, covered, over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and with a melon-ball cutter scoop out the flesh, reserving 4 cups of it and leaving 1/4-inch shells. In a kettle of boiling salted water blanch the eggplant shells in batches for 4 minutes and drain them, inverted, on paper towels.
• In a large heavy skillet brown the sausage over moderate heat, stirring, and transfer it with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Chop the reserved eggplant and in the fat remaining in the skillet cook it with the celery, the bell pepper, and the onions over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browns bits, until the mixture is golden. Add 1 cup water and cook the mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add 1 cup more water and cook the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes, or until the eggplant is very soft.
• In a large bowl combine the eggplant mixture, the sausage, the rice, the scallion greens, the parsley, the cayenne, and salt and black pepper to taste. Divide the mixture among the eggplant shells, arrange the eggplants in 2 shallow 15 1/2- by 10 1/2-baking pans, and add 1 cup water to each pan. Bake the eggplants, covered with foil, in a preheated 350°F. oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the eggplants with the bread crumb mixture and broil them in batches under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the topping is golden.