September 2 - Stuffed Roasted Aubergines

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables. My kids are beginning to like it too, since I served the ratatouille for dinner.

My friends and I were served with sumptuous Vietnamese dishes with European flair when we had dinner at Le Colonial. We ordered Aubergines for appetizer. These are eggplants stuffed with crab and shrimp served with shallot frites and nuoc cham.

I would have loved to serve the same thing at home. But since my kids are not fond of crabs yet, I stuffed the aubergines with ground beef instead.

My husband enjoyed the dish, especially the shallot frites, that gave the kick to the dish.

Stuffed Roasted Aubergines

Ingredients

6 European eggplants, halved

olive oil

salt and pepper

3 shallots, thinly sliced

2 lbs ground beef chuck

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

Cooking Time (75 minutes)

Lay the halved eggplants in a large baking pan.

Drizzle 1/2 cup of olive olive.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook the shallot frites.

Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan.

Fry the shallots for about 10 minutes, but be careful not to burn them.

Set the fried shallots in a plate with paper towel to absorb excess oil.

After an hour, cook the ground beef.

The ground beef chuck will have enough fats so you do not need to add oil for cooking.

After 10 minutes, add the chopped garlic.

Season with salt and pepper.

Carefully scoop the flesh out of each half eggplant.

Mix the eggplant flesh with the ground beef.

Cook for another 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat.

Fold in the fresh parsley and tomatoes.

When serving, place 3 tbsp of cooked ground beef in each half eggplant skin.

Serve with shallots frites.