Baked Eggplant...recipe thanks to google

I have been making Baked Eggplant for quite some time now...it’s a mix of a few recipes I found thanks to Google and have made a few changes over time…almost everyone bakes the eggplants only once with the filling stuffed in but somehow for us it tastes better when baked twice…once without filling and once with...I don’t know, perhaps something to do with the eggplants we get here…depending on what I have at home, veggies get added in or not...spices vary from all Indian to just plain salt and pepper…herbs get added in or not…basically do your own thing kind of thing

Baked Eggplant

Ingredients:

• Eggplant, 1 large
• White bread, 3 slices
• Mince meat, 300 gm (I used mutton mince)
• Onions, chopped, 2 medium
• Tomatoes, chopped, 2 medium
• Garlic, chopped, 5-6 cloves
• Cheese, about a cup
• Olive Oil, 1 tbsp for eggplant shells, 2 tbsp for stuffing, a little for greasing the baking sheet
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Red Chili flakes, to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Using a dry grinder, process bread into coarse crumbs.

Cut the eggplant in half (vertically) and scoop the flesh out of each half to make a shell about 3/8 inch thick – I mark with a knife and then scoop out with a spoon.  

Place the eggplant halves onto a greased baking sheet and coat with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with some salt.  Place in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Chop up the scooped out flesh, sprinkle with salt and keep it in a colander to drain.

Heat oil in a pan on medium flame; add in the garlic and onions. Cook till they soften and add the minced meat. 

Cook the mince, stirring until browned. 

Add tomatoes, chopped eggplant, salt, red chili flakes and pepper. 

Mix well, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes. 

Remove the cover and dry up the juices a bit – the mix should neither be too runny nor too dry. 

Taste the seasoning and stir in the breadcrumbs.

Fill the eggplant halves with the mix, cover with cheese and back into the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes. Done!!