Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb and Pine Nuts

-Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

-Cut 2 large eggplants in half the long way.

-Place the eggplant cut-side up in a roasting pan large enough to accommodate them snugly.

-Brush the eggplant with 4 TBS extra virgin olive oil.

-Season with sea salt and fresh pepper.

-Roast for 20 minutes.

-Remove from the oven to cool slightly.

-While the eggplant is cooking, make the stuffing...

-Mix together the following in a small bowl:

1.5 tsp ground cumin

1.5 tsp sweet paprika

1 TBS ground cinnamon

-Dice up 1 onion.

-Heat 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan.

-Add half of the spice mix to the pan along with the onion.

-Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.

-Add the following to the pan:

1 pound ground lamb

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 bunch chopped cilantro or a handful of basil

2 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper

-Continue to cook and stir until meat is cooked.

-In a small bowl mix together the following:

2/3 cup water

1 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 tsp tamarind paste

4 cinnamon sticks

1/4 tsp sea salt

The remaining spice mix

-Cover the pan tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, return to the oven and roast for 1.5 hours.

-Twice during the cooking, remove the lid/foil and baste the eggplants with the sauce, adding some water if necessary.

-Serve warm, not hot or at room temperature.

Penne with Eggplant and Ricotta

-Cook 1 pound penne pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions.

-Drain pasta; return to pot.

-Cut 2 long thin eggplants into 1 inch chunks.

-Put in a large bowl and fill the bowl with cold water and some ice cubes.

-Let the eggplant soak for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.

-Slice 4 cloves of garlic into thin slices.

-Cut 1 pound of tomatoes into ½ inch chunks.

-Heat 4 TBS extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the following:

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

The sliced garlic

-Cook, stirring often for about 2 minutes.

-Add eggplant to skillet; season generously with salt and pepper.

-Cover, and cook until eggplant begins to release juices, about 5 minutes.

-Uncover; cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes (if bottom of pan browns too much, add a few tablespoons water, and scrape with spoon).

-Add the following to the pan:

2 TBS tomato paste

The diced tomatoes

1/4 cup water

-Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.

-Chop up a handful of flat leaf parsley leaves.

-Toss sauce and basil with pasta; gently reheat if necessary.

-Top each serving with a spoonful of whole milk ricotta and garnish with more parsley.

Nigel Slater’s Eggplant Moutabal

-Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

-Wash and dry 2 eggplants.

-Put about 10 slits in each eggplant with a sharp paring knife.

-Bake them for 40 minutes or so, until their skin is blackened.

-When they are cool enough to handle, scrape out the flesh, avoiding the skin.

-Mash the flesh with a fork beating in the following…

1 lemon (the juice and zest)

-2 cloves of garlic (put through a press)

-2 TBS tahini paste.

-3 TBS extra virgin olive oil.

¼ tsp sea salt

-Serve with toasted pita bread.

Summer Ragout

-Take the skins off of 4-6 tomatoes by cutting a big X on the bottom of each tomato and submerging them in boiling water for 5 minutes.

-Peel each tomato from the bottom up, then chop them into large chunks.

-Wash any combination of whole peppers, ancho, sweet Italian or shisito.

-You could also do an eggplant this way.

-Turn your broiler to high and put the oven rack as close to the element as possible.

-Put the peppers on a baking tray and let broil for about 10 minutes until one side is charred.

-Then flip the peppers and broil the other side.

-When the peppers are cool enough to handle, chop them up and the eggplant too if using.

-Chop up 1 head of fennel into small dice if you have it.

-You could also do a summer squash.

-Heat 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil in a medium saucepan.

-Add the chopped fennel/summer squash and sauté for 10 minutes until soft.

-Put 2 cloves of garlic through a press, then add to the fennel if using.

-Add the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.

-Add a splash or two of red wine and cook for 10 minutes until tomatoes are broken apart and saucy.

-Finely chop up ¼ bunch of fresh parsley and/or a large handful of basil and then add it to the tomatoes.

-Season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and some red pepper flakes if desired.

-If you want to serve it with out any grains involved, you can make the meatball recipe below and boil the meatballs in the sauce, covered for 10 minutes.

-Or serve with pasta (Linguini? Orchetta?) and some good quality grated Parmesan cheese.

Herbed Meatballs:

Meatballs need a new name because they are awesome and their name is not.

-Use any combination of ground meat you like, our favorite is half pork and half beef, but you can also use ground turkey or chicken.

-In a large bowl combine the following:

1 pound ground meat

¼ cup finely chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, basil or flat leaf parsley)

1 egg

½ tsp sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper

-Gently mix, then shape into small 1.5 inch meatballs.

-You can simmer the meatballs in broth or tomato sauce for about 10 minutes over medium heat or you can bake the meatballs in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until nicely browned.

Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb and Pine Nuts

-Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

-Cut 2 large eggplants in half the long way.

-Place the eggplant cut-side up in a roasting pan large enough to accommodate them snugly.

-Brush the eggplant with 4 TBS extra virgin olive oil.

-Season with sea salt and fresh pepper.

-Roast for 20 minutes.

-Remove from the oven to cool slightly.

-While the eggplant is cooking, make the stuffing...

-Mix together the following in a small bowl:

1.5 tsp ground cumin

1.5 tsp sweet paprika

1 TBS ground cinnamon

-Dice up 1 onion.

-Heat 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan.

-Add half of the spice mix to the pan along with the onion.

-Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.

-Add the following to the pan:

1 pound ground lamb

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 bunch chopped cilantro or a handful of basil

2 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper

-Continue to cook and stir until meat is cooked.

-In a small bowl mix together the following:

2/3 cup water

1 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 tsp tamarind paste

4 cinnamon sticks

1/4 tsp sea salt

The remaining spice mix

-Cover the pan tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, return to the oven and roast for 1.5 hours.

-Twice during the cooking, remove the lid/foil and baste the eggplants with the sauce, adding some water if necessary.

-Serve warm, not hot or at room temperature.