Recipe - Eggplant Marrakech

2 md Or large eggplants
1 cup Finely chopped onions
2 Garlic cloves; pressed or
minced
One fourth teaspoon Ground red pepper or Berbere
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon Ground cumin seeds
One fourth teaspoon Ground cloves
2 Chopped tomatoes
One half cup Vermicelli; broken into
short pieces
1 cup Water
1 cup Cooked brown rice
1 cup Cooked chick peas
One half cup Raisins
3 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
One fourth cup Chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Pimiento strips

I made these two recipes over the weekend they're from Sundays at
Moosewood cookbook, with appropriate changes to make them. I really like
exotic recipes so I enjoy this cookbook a lot my husband just loves these
2 recipes he keeps teasing me that all they need to be perfect is some
chunks of lamb! Anyway, here they are:

Leaving the stems on, slice the eggplants in half lengthwise and place
them, cut side down, on an oiled baking sheet. Covered them with aluminum
foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, until tender.

"Saute" the onions, garlic and spices until onions are transluent. Stir
often to prevent spices from burning. Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer,
covered, for 3 or 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot, here the cookbook says to fry the
vermicelli in olive oil for a couple of minutes until the color changed to
goldenbrown I sprayed a pan with Pam and did the same I really think
you could just skip this, I don't think it made any difference. Anyway,
after the frying, immediately add a cup of water, bring it to a boil, and
simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes, until the water is absorbed; remove
from heat. Add rice, chick peas, and raisins. Stir in the sauteed
oniontomato mixture, lemon juice, and parsley. Add salt and pepper to
taste.

Turn the baked eggplant halves over in the baking pan. With a fork or
spoon, mash the pulp a little, taking care not to break the skin. Push
aside some of the pulp to make a hollow. Mound a quarter of the filling on
each half. Baked, covered, at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Garnish with pimiento strips (also suggests to sprinkle with feta cheese).

Variation: I didn't feel like making a stuffed eggplant so I cut or sliced up the
eggplant and broiled it. Then I just mixed it along with everything else to
make a wonderful casserole.
Posted to fatfree digest by "Zoe Sodja" zoe_sodja@macmail.ucsc.edu on Apr
28, 1998