Baked Eggplant

Ingredients

• 2 ea. (2 lb / 900 g) medium eggplants
• ¼ lb (113 g) button mushrooms, sliced
• ½ lb (225 g) tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup (240 ml) chopped onions
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• ⅔ cup (80 g) walnuts
• 3 heaping tbsp capers, drained
• 1 can (6 oz / 170 g) tomato paste
• 2–3 small tomatoes, sliced

Steps

1. 1

   Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, leaving a ¼-inch (0.5 cm) rind.

2. 2

   Scoop out flesh using a curved serrated grapefruit knife, and coarsely chop it.

3. 3

   Place chopped eggplant into a large, deep skillet or flat-bottomed wok.

4. 4

   Rub inside of eggplant shells with olive oil and set aside on a baking sheet.

5. 5

   Add mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, cinnamon, pepper, and olive oil to skillet, and sauté 5 to 10 minutes until soft but still chunky.

6. 6

   Place eggplant shells under the broiler, and broil 3 inches (7.5 cm) from heat source for 8–12 minutes, until fork tender (be careful not to burn).

7. 7

   Remove from heat source and set aside.

8. 8

   Coarsely grind walnuts, add to skillet along with capers and tomato paste, and mix well.

9. 9

   Fill eggplant shells with sautéed mixture and top with tomato slices.

10. 10

    Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

11. 11

    Bake uncovered at 375°F for 25–35 minutes.