Recipe - Eggplant Provencale

1 One half cup Uncooked brown rice
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 pn Saffron
3 cup Water
1 One half teaspoon Salt

EGGPLANT
2 tablespoon Olive oil
3 md Eggplants
One fourth cup Water
One fourth cup Sherry

VEGETABLES
2 tablespoon Olive oil
3 cup Minced onions
1 lg Red bell pepper, minced
1 tablespoon Sherry
One half teaspoon Cayenne
2 md Tomatoes, chopped
One half cup Dried currants
One half cup Chopped fresh parsley
One fourth teaspoon Black pepper

TOPPING
One half cup Tomato juice
One half cup Toasted slivered almonds
Chopped fresh parsely

Cook rice, sauteing it in olive oil & crumbling in the saffron before
adding the water & salt.

Brush a large baking pan with olive oil. Leaving the stems on, slice the
eggplants in half lengthwise & place face down on the pan. Add sherry &
water. Cover tightly with aluminum & bake at 375F till tender, about 45
minutes.

Meanwhile, saute the onions in 2 tablespoon olive oil for 10 minutes. Add peppers,
1 tablespoon sherry & cayenne. Saute covered for 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes,
currants, parsley & black pepper. Simmer covered for a few minutes. Combine
rice & vegetable mixture.

When eggplants are cool enough to handle, gently mash them & push the soft
middle to the side. Mound the rice pilaf on each eggplant half. Pour
tomato juice into baking pan, cover tightly & return to oven to bake about
30 minutes. Serve garnished with almonds & parsley.

"New Recipes From Moosewood Restaurant"