Eggplant, lamb and rice casserole
4 Servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | pounds | Eggplants |
| ½ | pounds | Ground Lamb -- lean |
| 2 | teaspoons | Olive Oil |
| 2 | Onions -- chopped | |
| 1 | Red Bell Pepper -- seeded | |
| And chopped | ||
| 2 | Cloves Garlic -- minced | |
| 14½ | ounce | Tomatoes, Canned -- |
| Undrained | ||
| 2 | teaspoons | Dried Oregano |
| ½ | teaspoon | Dried Thyme |
| ½ | teaspoon | Ground Cinnamon |
| ¼ | teaspoon | Ground Cloves |
| 1 | cup | White Rice |
| 14½ | ounce | Beef Broth -- defatted |
| 2 | ounces | Feta Cheese -- crumbled |
| Salt And Pepper -- to taste | ||
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise. Place eggplant halves, cut-side down, in a roasting pan. Add water to a depth of ½ 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 medium-high heat. Add ground lamb and saute, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, 3-5 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, 3-5 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