Pork Stuffed Eggplant

One of my New Year resolutions is to add more vegetables to my family’s meals.  When I saw this recipe for Pork Stuffed Eggplant with a Caribbean influence from La Tartine Gourmand I thought it would be a perfect way to add several vegetables at once.

Of course as with all the recipes I make I changed this a bit to suit my family and what I had available in my cupboards.   I expect you to do the same.

It was still delicious and made 4 VERY large servings.

Ingredients

• 4 medium eggplants or 2 large
• Sea salt
• Olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 medium onion chopped finely
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced finely
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated finely
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and grated finely
• 1 15 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 pound (450 g) ground pork
• 2 large egg
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 oz. Swiss cheese, grated plus more for topping
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Using a small spoon, scoop the flesh out of the eggplants. Sprinkle the inside with salt and turn them, face down, on a paper towel. Leave to rest for 30 minutes minimum. Chop the flesh finely and keep 2 cups aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 F and have an oiled baking dish ready.
3. In a frying pan, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. When warm, add the onion, ground cumin and coriander. Cook for 2-5 minutes until the onion starts to turn translucent and add the garlic. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until well fragrant.
4. Add the grated carrots and sweet potato and cook, stirring once in a while, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 cup of the eggplant flesh and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetable preparation looks soft. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly.
5. Stir in the meat, 4 oz. cheese and then the eggs.  Add the parsley.
6. Stuff the eggplants with this preparation.
7. Place the eggplants in the dish and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and add chicken stock (or water) at the bottom of the dish (enough to create a small bed). Bake the eggplants for 1 hour, or until the cheese is lightly colored. These are even better the second day.

Next time I make this recipe, and there will be a next time, I will serve each of us 1/2 of an eggplant boat.  I used 2 large eggplants to make 4 boats and they were stuffed very well.  It made enough for lunches the next day and it was even better the second day with a touch more cheese added on top while they warmed.