Recipe - Gulf Coast Eggplant With Crab

3 small Or 2 medium eggplants
4 tablespoon Butter; divided
2 lg Cloves garlic; crushed
1 cup Chopped green onion
1 cup Sliced celery
One half cup Finely chopped red bell
pepper
One half cup Chopped parsley
1 cup Soft French bread crumbs;
divided (up to 11/2)
2 teaspoon Chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon Chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon Chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon Chopped fresh basil
2 Eggs; beaten slightly
1 teaspoon Salt
One half teaspoon Pepper
One half teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce
1 pound Crabmeat (or 1 pound
chopped, cooked shrimp)
1 lg Lemon; juiced
One half cup Freshly grated Romano or
Parmesan cheese
Chopped parsley

Wash and dry eggplants. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; place eggplants on a
baking pan, and bake about 35 or 40 minutes or just until tender. Remove
from oven, cut in half lengthwise, and cool. With a spoon or sharp knife,
scoop out pulp, leaving a One half inch shell. Chop or mash pulp.

While eggplants are baking, saute garlic, green onion, celery and bell
pepper in 2 tablespoons butter until soft but not browned. Remove from heat
and combine with eggplant pulp and all reamining ingredients except One half cup
bread crumbs, remaining butter and cheese. Mix lightly and taste to correct
seasonings.

Spoon filling loosely into reserved eggplant shells. Top with remaining
bread crumbs and dot with remaining butter.

Arrange filled shells on an oiled shallow pan; do not crowd. Put in
preheated 350 degree oven and bake about 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and
lightly browned. During the last 5 to 6 minutes of cooking, sprinkle with
cheese. Served garnished with chopped parsley.

Note: This filling can also be baked in a buttered casserole dish instead
of eggplant shells.

Posted to BakeryShoppe Digest V1 #230 by Becky Kivak
bkivak@bellsouth.net on Sep 11, 1997