Recipe - Eggplant Stuffing

3 md Eggplants (1 pound ea.)
One fourth cup Olive oil
1/3 cup Chopped scallions
=OR= Shallots
1 Garlic clove; cut or sliced up (opt.)
One fourth cup Chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoon Chopped fresh fennel or dill
One half teaspoon Allspice; more if necessary
One fourth cup Dry white wine
2 tablespoon Tomato paste; MIXED WITH:
One half cup Water
Salt & freshly ground pepper
One half cup Bread crumbs

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. With a small knife, cut away the
eggplant flesh from the skin without breaking the skin (if planning to
stuff the shells, leave 1/4inch of the flesh with the skin as a firm base)
and set the shells aside. Dice the eggplant flesh and push through the
medium blade of a meat grinder as quickly as possible to avoid
discoloration. (Or the eggplant may be pureed in a blender or food
processor.)

Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the scallions and garlic. Add the
parsley, fennel, allspice, wine, and the diluted tomato paste. Stir in the
eggplant pulp, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Taste to adjust seasonings. Add the bread crumbs to absorb excess liquid.

Stuff the eggplant shells, if desired, and place in an oiled baking dish.
Bake in a moderate oven (350 F) for 35 minutes. Serve warm or
particularly good cold.

From: "The Food of Greece" by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles. Avenel Books, New
York. Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini