Quick Fake-Out Stuffed Eggplant

I almost forgot that one of the purposes of this blog is to document recipes I try.
A couple of days ago, I used a recipe in Rachael Rays LOOK AND COOK book. The neat thing about this book is that the recipes have a picture of the finished product, which I like.

I could not find the exact recipe online, the ones on her website seem to be a little bit different. So, I will post one of those and make notes of the differences

•5 small firm eggplants, about 6-7 inches long and 3 inches wide or 5 Japanese eggplants about the same size, divided
•5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1 pound ground beef or lamb (I used ground sirloin)
•2 tablespoons tomato paste (the recipe in the book called for ONE tbsp.
•1 small to medium onion, finely chopped
•3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
•A small handful of raisins
•A splash of white wine or chicken stock (this was not in the BOOK recipe)
•3-4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts ( left this out)
•A handful basil leaves, torn or chopped (I used the dried herb in a jar)
•3 tablespoons butter
•1 cup breadcrumbs
•1/2 cup finely chopped parsley leaves (a couple of generous handfuls) (dried herbinjar)
•1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
PreparationPre-heat the oven to 475°F.

Halve four of the eggplants lengthwise. Pour about 1/4 cup EVOO on a rimmed baking sheet. Season the cut eggplant with salt and pepper, to taste, and arrange, cut side down, in the EVOO. Put in the oven and roast until tender, about 20 minutes.

Peel the remaining eggplant and dice into 1/2-inch pieces. In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO. Stir in the beef or lamb, tomato paste, onion, garlic, diced eggplant and raisins. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the wine or stock and cook until the eggplant and onions are soft, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pine nuts and basil.

While the meat cooks, melt the butter in small skillet over medium heat, add the breadcrumbs and toast until golden. Transfer to a bowl and cool.

Stir the parsley and cheese into the breadcrumbs and add half of this mixture to the meat.

Remove the eggplant from the oven, flip it over and transfer to a serving platter. Top each halved eggplant with a mound of stuffing and sprinkle the remaining cheesy breadcrumbs over the top before serving.

IT WAS DELICIOUS! I had a lot of leftovers, so after dinner I chopped up the remaining eggplant halves and stirred them into the beef mixture. Not sure what I will do with that now.