Thursday, September 9, 2010

Stuffed Eggplant



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There are unmistakable signs of fall in the Oregon air. We've had our first persistent rain and night's have become decidedly cooler. Both are sure indications that it's time to pull comforters from storage and rotate menus for cooler days. Today's "ish" dish is perfect for these cooler evenings. I'm convinced there are no longer original recipes. There are lots of adaptions, but most dishes touted as new, generally are not. Mine included. Save for molecular cooking, a place to which I will not venture, and you should thank God for that, we are surrounded by "ish" dishes. Tonight's recipe is no exception. It's a new-ish adaption of Michael Chiarello's Italian-ish version of his mom's stuffed eggplant. Her recipe must have been terrific. I know his version of her recipe is great, but then so is my version of his. Confused? Please don't be. Here's how my "ish" dish is made.

Stuffed Eggplant...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Michael Chiarello and Napa Style

Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants
1 pound blender chopped boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 red pepper, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup basil, chopped
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1-1/4 cup grated pecorino Romano, divided use
1 large egg
2 chopped Roma tomatoes

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
2) Cut eggplants in half and scoop out centers, leaving enough meat at edges to allow eggplant to hold shape when baked. Boil eggplant that has been scooped out of shell until very soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3) Heat olive oil in a separate skillet set over medium heat. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all liquid has evaporated and chicken is no longer translucent. Break up large pieces of chicken with a wooden spoon. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
4) Add onions, peppers and garlic to skillet and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
5) Combine cooked eggplant, chicken, vegetables, parsley, basil, 1 cup cheese, breadcrumbs and egg in a large bowl. Mix just to combine. Fill each eggplant shell with a portion of the mixture. Top with chopped tomatoes, remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper, place on an oiled oven tray or baking dish and bake for 50 minutes at 350F. Let cool briefly before serving. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Rolled Eggplant - Food Loves Writing
Stuffed Thai Eggplant with Sweet Potato Leaves and Brown Rice - A Little Bit of Spain In Iowa
Grilled Eggplant Sandwich - Simply Recipes
Ratatouille - Kitchen Parade
Baba Ghannouj - Andrea Meyer
Japanese Eggplant Salad - Juicy Fresh Bites
Eggplant Gratin - Stylish Cuisine
Crockpot Eggplant Curry - The Sweet's Life
Quinoa Stuffed Eggplant - The Baking Barrister
Pastitsio: Lamb and Eggplant Casserole - One Perfect Bite

62 comments :

RamblingTart said...

Your ish-dish looks fabulous, Mary. :-) I've not been a big eggplant fan, but this recipe intrigues me and the stuffing especially sounds fantastic. :-)

Angie's Recipes said...

This looks simply fantastic! I had some stuffed pumpkins with pork spareribs before, and must try your stuffed eggplant too!

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

Yum- I picked up a large zucchini from the farmers market and stuffed it with tofu and other veggies- turned out great-
Your eggplant looks amazing!

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

I have a similiar-ish recipe that uses a zuchinni instead. Yup, nothing new under the sun.

Hope you had a great holiday weekend, Mary.

Fondly,
Glenda

Sanjeeta kk said...

Lovely idea, Mary! Might try it with cottage cheese stuffing.

J e l e n a said...

Little boats I call them, stuffed eggplants. Love the use of chicken. I sometimes add Italian pepperoni to give it a twist!

Katerina said...

We eat a lot of stuffed eggplants here in Greece and this is a lovely twist. I am sure its taste is unique too.

cocoa and coconut said...

I must do this one day. I've been meaning to experiment with stuffing eggplant/zucchini/bell peppers for SUCH long time because I know it would be delicious, but haven't gotten around to it. Looks fantastic :)

Priya Suresh said...

Irresistible stuffed eggplant..

Rita said...

Well guess what? This dish has new for me and sounds really good. I would never have thought of stuffing a eggplant; looks wonderful.
Rita

Sushma Mallya said...

wow it looks really good,loved the presentation

LimeCake said...

oh yum. i love eggplant and this looks delicious!

Kim said...

This looks great! I love stuffec veggies! I love eggplants too!

Julie said...

Great post, Mary! We all make so many of those "ish" dishes! This looks delicious.

Allie and Pattie said...

Love this! I posted a stuffed zucchini recipe earlier this summer that I used chicken in- it's always a huge hit and great warm or cooled. This just looks marvelous!
xoxo Pattie

A Plum By Any Other Name said...

Completely agree with you about molecular gastronomy! Thanks for reminding me about stuffed eggplants, I've been scratching my head about what to do with summer's last bounty.

Stuffed pumpkins and zucchini sound amazing too!

From the Kitchen said...

I just picked up some air-cooled (which my food scientist son says is the best way to go) skinless, boneless chicken thighs at the market, have the rest of the ingredients and was wondering how to put it all together. Your Maryish, Michaelish, Italianish recipe, with a "meish" twist will be on this evenings table!! A really big thank you today!

Best,
Bonnie

Alessandra said...

Lovely, and great image!!! Eggplants are among my favourite vegetables!

High Plains Drifters said...

Getting some amazing eggplant at the farmer's market but all i've done so far is grill it. Need to shake things up with this one. Cheers!

Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said...

I've been really liking eggplant this year! This looks amazing and it's a great presentation! Thanks!

Unknown said...

I love your "ish" dish, Mary! I looks so good and inviting. Very fall"ish" for sure! And I'm with you, I don't know that there are a lot of original dishes out there, so many adaptations, but I believe if it's got your spin on it, it's as close to original as we'll see! Thanks for sharing!

aipi said...

Whoo..that looks fabulous!!

US Masala

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Mary - I love stuffed eggplant and this version really intrigues me. By the way, after reading about your quinoa salads, you inspired me to make one too. It's the latest entry on my blog.

Kalyn Denny said...

This sounds delicious! I have some little Thai eggplants, and now I'm thinking they might be fun to stuff with something!

Unknown said...

What a pretty photo! I love eggplant, and the filling looks really delicious.

CaSaundraLeigh said...

I absolutely love eggplant, I mostly have eaten it only in eggplant parmesan. But I am always looking for new things to "stuff", so this recipe will be a must for me to try soon!

Cherine said...

I love eggplants, and this looks absolutely fantastic!!

Adelina said...

What a great beginning for the cooler season. Love the eggplant housing the stuffing- looks a perfect edible dish!

Jeannie said...

This sounds like a very delicious stuffed eggplant, I have only used eggplants in curries and stir fried mostly, this is something new to me! Thanks for sharing Mary:)

StephenC said...

The eggplants in our garden are of the slender Japanese type, so not particularly stuffable. But we'll buying some of the regular kind soon enough.

Pam said...

I think it looks del"ish". I have never cooked with eggplant (bad experience when I was younger) but I really want to give it another chance.

Emily Z said...

Oooooh, this looks so good. I love eggplant! What a great meal to start off the fall!

Big Dude said...

It sounds good, but it's the first stuffed eggplant I've seen - I don't think it ever even occurred to me. Thanks for the idea.

Kristen said...

I just bought two eggplant and have been looking for something fun to do with them. Maybe an "ish" dish is in order!

Unknown said...

Everything you make is just perfect! I would love to dig right in!

Toni said...

Oh yum!!!! Totally stealing this recipe!!! Thanks for sharing!

Create. Snap. Eat. said...

Gorgeous! And, curious -- why the use of thighs and not another cut of the chicken?

Diane said...

Mmmmmmm this looks very yummy. Diane

Catherine said...

Ilike stuffed vegetables, a speciality from the south of France.Tomorow i'm cooking a "ratatouille" i love it!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

The farmers market is tomorrow, I believe I will be picking up some eggplants.

Eliana said...

Wish I could have had some of this for lunch today instead of the boring turkey sandwich I had. You are such a talent in the kitchen.

Valérie said...

I love stuffed vegetables in general, but eggplants are high on my list! Lovely!

Gloria Baker said...

Look awesome dear Mary I love stuffed eggaplant, and I love this recipe, huggs, have a lovely day, gloria

patissierement-votre said...

Thank you for visiting my blog :). I'm looking foward to make this recipe, it seems delicious. I'm gonna try it sooner than later since the eggplant season is nearly finished.

nannykim said...

mmm, this sounds yummy. I would have to leave off the cheese...but I just may try this one soooooon!

pam said...

Well, now you are *almost* making me wish my CSA would give me some more of the dreaded eggplant.

Ginny Hartzler said...

Even though I don't eat eggplant, I would eat this, it looks so good! Phil ordered some kind of eggplant in an Italian restaraunt a few years ago, and it came to the table looking like the sole of a dirty shoe!! Since then, he won't ever order eggplant again!

Annalisa said...

This looks wonderful and so tasty- the picture speaks for itself!
Thank you for your lovely visit to my blog and I do hope you'll come back, anytime!!
Love,
Take care
Annalisa

FOODESSA said...

I would be completely satisfied having this stuffed eggplant with no other accompaniment ;o)

BTW...Mary, I'm with you about the molecular?!?

Ciao for now,
Claudia

Jennifer said...

I totally agree nothing is really new. I am trying to work up the guts to make Eggplant something, this looks like the ticket! I had no idea you were a fellow Oregonian, I live in Beaverton!

Velva said...

Beautiful. Right now, eggplants are the summer gift that keeps on giving. This is a great recipe.

The Florida heat has been sweltering. I would be most grateful to open a window and let cool air inside.

Jen_from_NJ said...

I have so many eggplants from my CSA - I am grateful for this great idea!

Couscous & Consciousness said...

Mary, this looks fabulous. I love the way recipes evolve, and even as I was reading this I was already thinking of some adaptations for my own -ish variation :-) Thanks for sharing and the inspiration.
Sue

redmenace said...

Ish or no ish, I think a stuffed eggplant would really hit the spot right now. Delicious!

PranisKitchen said...

how perfectly u r baking the eggplant.. looks so delicious very interesting stuffing yummy

Simply Life said...

oh I love this idea for eggplant!

Bakericious said...

I used to dislike eggplant but now started to appreciate the taste but to some type of cooking only. Yours definitely make me wanted to have some.

Kerstin said...

I've never had stuffed eggplant before - what a yummy idea!

We Are Not Martha said...

I love eggplant and I love anything stuffed with bread crumbs and parm, so this looks just plain awesome :)

Sues

Cristie said...

I have a love for eggplant and happen to have several dangling in my garden waiting for just the right dish-ish . . . this sounds wonderful.

Spoon and Chopsticks said...

This looks fantastic. I have tried stuffed zucchini but never tried stuffed eggplants. This is something for me to think about.

Thanks for visiting my blog. I've found interesting recipes on your blog too.... Following you.

My Little Space said...

Your stuffed eggplant looks so mouthwatering! I love the juicy stuffing in there. Just wanna take a bite on it right away. Or can I? haha.... Have a nice day.
Cheers, Kristy

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