Recipe - Eggplant Lamb And Rice Casserole

2 pound Eggplants
One half pound Ground Lamb lean
2 teaspoon Olive Oil
2 Onions chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper seeded
And chopped
2 Cloves Garlic minced
14 One half ounce Tomatoes, Canned
Undrained
2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
One half teaspoon Dried Thyme
One half teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
One fourth teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 cup White Rice
14 One half ounce Beef Broth defatted
2 ounce Feta Cheese crumbled
Salt And Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise. Place
eggplant halves, cutside down, in a roasting pan. Add water to a depth of
One half inch. Bake until tender, 20to 25 minutes; set aside. Reduce oven
temperature to 400 degrees.

While the eggplant is roasting, heat a large nonstick skillet over
mediumhigh heat. Add ground lamb and saute, breaking up the meat with a
wooden spoon, until browned, 35 minutes. Transfer to a colander and drain
off fat. Set aside.

In a Dutch ove, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until
golden, about 5 minutes. Add red peppers and garlic and cook for 2 minutes
longer. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, oregano, thyme, cinnamon and
cloves. Simmer, breaking up the tom atoes with a wooden spoon, until the
mixture has thickened slightly, 35 minutes.

Scoop out eggplant flesh and chop coarsely. Stir rice, beef broth, chopped
eggplant and the reserved lamb into the tomato mixture; bring to a simmer.
Cover the pan and place it in the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until
the rice is tender and th e liquid has been absorbed. Season with salt and
pepper. Dot with feta and serve.

Recipe By : The Denver Post Magazine/January 2, 1994

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