PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES | COOK TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES | TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 50 MINUTES | SERVINGS: 6 | RECIPE BY: MAUREEN ABOOD
Lebanese eggplant boats are the traditional option to make Sheik al mehsheh, a meal “match for a king”! Serve the eggplant over a mattress of cinnamon-scented rice with a crisp, lemony romaine salad on the facet. This dish is appropriately made forward by a day or two and refrigerated sooner than baking (or bake, cool, refrigerate for as lots of as two days, then reheat lined in a 350 diploma oven), or frozen (thaw in a single day all by the use of the fridge sooner than baking or reheating).
INGREDIENTS
6 medium eggplant, about 8 x 3 inches
3 tablespoons additional virgin olive oil, divided
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound flooring beef (spherical) or lamb
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Kosher salt, to vogue
Freshly flooring black pepper, to vogue
1 28 oz. can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1 enormous ball newest mozzarella cheese, torn in small objects (elective)
INSTRUCTIONS
Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise and put collectively on a foil or parchment lined sheet pan, lower facet up. Brush the lower sides with a tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle frivolously with salt. Place the pan beneath the broiler on a rack about 3 inches from the broiler, and broil till the tops are deep golden brown. Take away from the oven and put aside.
Change a rack to the middle of the oven and warmth the oven to 375 ranges F.
In a medium sauté pan, warmth the remaining olive oil over medium warmth. Sauté the onion with a pinch of salt till translucent and cooked by, nonetheless not browned. Add garlic and saute merely till aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the underside meat, sprinkle with cinnamon, additional salt, and pepper, cooking and breaking apart the meat into small objects till it’s juicy and browned.
Add half of the tomato sauce (we’re utilizing the remaining shortly), ship to a simmer, and put together dinner dinner dinner dinner over low warmth for about 10 minutes, or till the sauce takes on a meaty, flavorful vogue. Vogue and add additional cinnamon, salt, and pepper if wished.
Cope with the eggplant halves in an infinite casserole or lasagna pan. Utilizing a pointy knife, lower a slit lengthwise down the middle of every half and push the eggplant from every finish to open the slit barely for the filling.
Spoon the cooked tomato meat sauce into the slits and mount on prime of every eggplant half. Then, contained within the an equal saute pan, warmth the remaining tomato sauce with ½ cup water and season frivolously with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then spoon the sauce into the casserole all by the use of the eggplant.
Cowl the casserole tightly with foil and bake for about 90 minutes. Do you need to’re transient on time, a shorter baking time is okay, nonetheless attempt to shield all of it by the use of the oven for an hour. All through the course of the best of baking time, take away the foil and place the mozzarella objects over every boat. Proceed baking till the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
Take away the casserole from the oven, sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts, and serve after the eggplant rests for about 10 minutes.