Spanish Stuffed Eggplant

Autumn has arrived in New York, and the slight chill in the air has left me wanting warm, hearty foods after a long summer of minimal cooking and lots of salads.  We use eggplant a lot in the Pfeffer household, but it is usually tossed into a pasta dish with other vegetables.  I wanted to make the eggplant a bit more visible in my recipe, so I decided to stuff it with meat...but it took me a while to figure out whether I wanted to do Italian-inspired with tomato sauce and cheese (probably would have been a hit with Russ - the more cheese the better), or perhaps a lamb and feta version.  As I considered the options, I was reminded of these delicious Spanish meatballs that I once made for a tapas party back in my single days.  A combination of pork and beef, they are simmered in a picada sauce and were amazing.  I hadn't made them in years, so I thought it would be fun to adapt the recipe for my eggplant dish.  The original recipe comes from a Williams Sonoma cookbook called Savoring Spain & Portugal by Joyce Goldstein.  I have many of the cookbooks from this series, as I love to collect the books for countries I have visited - they double as great coffee table books and serve as a good reminder of my journeys!  If you want to make the meatballs, which are a delicious appetizer, check it out here.  The combination of nutmeg, paprika, parsley, saffron, and almonds made a delightful pairing with the eggplant.  I hope that you enjoy!  It also heated up nicely for leftovers later in the week.  Next time, I may try adding some golden raisins to the mixture.  I think the sweetness might be a good complement to the dish.

 

ingredients

2 small eggplants
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 cup minced yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup finely minced parsley, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or cinnamon)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons ground blanched almonds
a few saffron threads, crushed
olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup beef or chicken stock
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise and scoop out the center, leaving about a half inch of meat on all sides.  Place the scooped out eggplant flesh in a colander and salt generously.  Set aside for 15-20 minutes, then rinse and squeeze out as much water from the flesh as you can.

In a skillet over medium heat, saute the garlic and onion until soft, about 8 minutes.  Remove half of the garlic and onion mixture and set aside for later.  Add the ground meat and egglplant flesh to the pan and saute until brown.  Stir in nutmeg and paprika, then remove from heat.  Stir in half of the parsley.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
 

 
Fill each eggplant half with the meat and eggplant mixture.
 
In a heavy pot or dutch oven over medium heat, combine reserved onions and garlic, beef broth, and white wine and bring to a simmer for about 2 minutes.  Place the stuffed eggplant halves in the pot, cover with a lid, and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender. 
 

 

While the eggplant is baking, make the picada.  In food processor, pulse the ground almonds, parsley, paprika, saffron, salt, and pepper together. 

After the eggplant is done baking, remove the eggplant from the pan and set aside.  Stir the picada into the pan juices and simmer for 2-3 minutes to combine the flavors.

To serve, drizzle the sauce over the stuffed eggplant, and top with toasted almond slices.

I served the eggplant with basmati rice pilaf made with onions and the remaining beef broth, then garnished the rice with scallions and toasted almonds.