This dish is as beautiful as it is savory. Eggplants stuffed with a smoky beef mixture, topped with chopped pistachios make for an extraordinary meal that takes minimal effort!
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1½ hours Makes: 4 servings
FOR THE EGGPLANTS
2 eggplants sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons (30 ml) avocado oil or olive oil
Sea salt and pepper
FOR THE BEEF MIXTURE
2 teaspoons (10 ml) avocado oil or olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 pound (450 g) organic, grass-fed ground beef
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon sea salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
⅓ cup (55 g) diced tomatoes
FOR THE SAUCE
⅓ cup (80 ml) crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon (15 ml) maple syrup
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch sea salt
TO GARNISH
¼ cup (35 g) chopped pistachios
Flat leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Score the fleshy side of the eggplants vertically and horizontally and baste the same side with the oil. Season with sea salt and pepper and arrange them skin side up in a casserole dish. Slide the dish into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering add the onion and beef, along with the paprika, salt, garlic, onion powder and parsley. Sauté for 8–10 minutes, or until the beef is cooked. Add the diced tomatoes and cook 5 minutes more.
In a separate saucepan, bring the sauce ingredients to a simmer over high heat, stirring occasionally. Allow the sauce to simmer for 5–8 minutes and then remove from the heat.
Once the eggplants are finished baking, remove them from the oven, flip them fleshy side up and spoon the meat mixture into them. Reduce the heat to 375°F (190°C). Use a spoon to help press the meat into the scored flesh. Cover the casserole dish with foil and return them, open-faced, to the oven for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes has passed, remove the casserole dish from the oven, take off the foil and top the meat with the sauce, evenly distributing it among the four eggplant halves. Then, return them uncovered to the oven for 15 final minutes of cooking.
Remove the casserole dish one last time, top the eggplants with the chopped pistachios and parsley and serve hot.
Bubbe’s tip: If you are as saucy as I am, you might want to double the smoky tomato sauce for this recipe. Trust me bubula, I did not earn bubbe status overnight for nothing.