Fethi Solaks Eggplant With Meat And Rice Food

EGGPLANT AND BEEF STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Whisk 2 tablespoons mint, soy sauce, 1 chile, half of ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, 1 teaspoon garlic, sugar, and 2 tablespoons water in a medium bowl. Set dressing aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in 2 batches and adding 2 tablespoons oil between batches, cook eggplant until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer eggplant slices to a medium bowl. Pour half of dressing over eggplant and toss to coat evenly. Set remaining dressing aside.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining chile, ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic, and beef and cook, turning beef once, until nicely seared and medium-rare, about 3 minutes total. Add eggplant mixture (with liquid) to skillet and toss to mix well.
• Divide noodles or rice among bowls. Spoon stir-fry over. Drizzle reserved dressing over stir-fry and garnish with remaining 2 tablespoons chopped mint.

FETHI SOLAK'S EGGPLANT WITH MEAT AND RICE

Steps:

• To prepare the stuffing, cook the chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat. After about five minutes, when the onion starts to soften, add the chopped green peppers. Cook together for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but not browned. Remove the vegetables from the pan with the oil in which they cooked, and set aside.
• Add ground lamb to the pan, and saute quickly, raising the heat and stirring constantly until the lamb is thoroughly browned. (If the lamb is especially lean, you may need to add a teaspoon or more of olive oil to the pan.) Scrape the lamb with its fat into a sieve to drain. Discard the fat and return the lamb to the pan, together with the chopped vegetables. Add the tomatoes, mint, cumin and red-pepper flakes to the pan and mix well. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until the tomatoes have released all their liquid and the sauce has thickened. Do not let the sauce dry out. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired.
• Remove from heat and stir in the rice and parsley, mixing well. Set aside until ready to use. (The stuffing may be prepared a day or more ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use, but bring it back to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the eggplants. If they are the smaller Italian variety, leave them whole, but prick them with a fork in half a dozen places. If using larger eggplants, cut in half lengthwise and score the cut surfaces in a crosscross pattern no more than half an inch deep. Be careful not to cut through the skin of the eggplants. Paint the cut surfaces with a little olive oil. Place the eggplants on a lightly oiled baking sheet (cut side up if you are using large ones), and bake them for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the flesh is soft. Set aside until they are cool enough to handle.
• Using a table knife and spoon, gently cut a slit down one side of the whole eggplants so that they can be opened up and the flesh can be pushed to either side. (Do not cut them into halves.) If using halved eggplants, break up the cooked flesh with the tines of a table fork to make room for the stuffing. Be careful not to cut through the eggplant skin. Pile several heaping tablespoonfuls of stuffing in the center of each eggplant.
• When the eggplants have been stuffed, set them in a lightly oiled rectangular roasting pan. Raise the oven heat to 450 degrees. Place one or two thin slices of tomato on top of each eggplant and drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil over each. Sprinkle a little grated cheese on top of the tomato slices. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan to a depth of about one-half inch, place in the oven, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are nicely browned.
• Set the eggplants aside until you are ready to serve them. For serving they should be warm or at room temperature, but not cold.

EGGPLANT AND RICE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat.
• Sauté onion and garlic 3-4 minutes or until onion is softened.
• Stir in next 4 ingredients (eggplant, tomato, bay leaf & thyme) and mix thoroughly.
• Cover saucepan and simmer 3 minutes.
• Stir in remaining ingredients (rice & chicken stock) and salt and pepper to taste and return to a boil.
• Immediately reduce heat to low.
• Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
• For vegetarian do not use Chicken stock.

STIR-FRIED ASIAN EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise, then cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Cover the eggplants with water, add the salt, and stir to dissolve the salt. Soak the eggplants for 5 minutes, then drain well.
• In a small bowl, mix the oyster sauce with the sugar and sesame oil and set aside.
• Heat a wok or nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil, garlic, chile peppers, and eggplants and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water and continue stir-frying for 2 more minutes. Add the oyster sauce mixture and stir well to mix. Remove to a platter and serve hot or cold.

EGGPLANT WITH FETA CHEESE

Steps:

• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Brush eggplant slices on one side with olive oil; arrange onto a baking sheet with oiled side facing up.
• Cook eggplant under broiler until lightly browned, about 5 minutes; remove from oven.
• Turn oven heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Turn slices and brush other side with olive oil. Sprinkle feta cheese over eggplant.
• Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle basil over the eggplant slices and serve hot.