Set oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
3 medium eggplants
1 tsp black pepper
paprika
dried oregano
Ginger
Coriander
Paprika
Cumin
Ground black pepper
1 onion finely chopped (Vidalia or red)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 lb of chopped beef (lean) or lamb (preferred)
8 oz can of crushed tomatoes, San Marzano preferred or a good quality canned tomato with no spices added
Olive oil, prefer extra virgin first press oil, it costs more but the taste is worth it
Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Shredded mozzarella cheese, one bag should be enough
Grated parmesan cheese, several ounces neede
Several sprigs of fresh Italian parsley or lots of fresh basil leaves
Red wine, you can also add some to the dish. 😊
Cut top and bottom off of eggplant and then slice lengthwise about ½” thick
In a small bowl add ½ cup olive oil, salt to taste, ½ tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp paprika, 1 tsp dried oregano and mix all together. You can vary the mix and use a tsp of each if you prefer.
Place eggplant slices on parchment paper on cookie sheet.
Spread mix over slices of eggplant, turn over and spread over other side. Depending how big the slices are you may need more of the mix, so keep your oil and spices ready to make more marinade.
Place eggplant in oven and cook 10 minutes, turn pieces over and cook 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven and set aside.
Add onion to frying pan with 2 tbl spoon olive oil and begin to lightly sauté
Add red pepper and yellow peppers. Add a little salt. Add two or three crushed garlic cloves.
To reduce the fat content, you can cook the meat in a little oil in a separate pan until almost done and then pour off the fat. Combine the meat with the onions and add the spices to the partially cooked meat. Continue to sauté and add ½ tsp each cumin, paprika, coriander and ginger or more of the spices if you prefer. Cook for 7-8 minutes on medium low heat until well done.
Add several sprigs of parsley chopped and 8oz tomato puree.
Add some water or a little red wine if needed and cook 10 minutes more over low heat.
Now ladle enough of the vegetable/meat mix over each slice of roasted eggplant to cover it.
Nearly cover each slice of topped eggplant with shredded mozzarella cheese and a teaspoon or more of parmesan cheese.
Top off with a good sprinkle of dried oregano on each slice.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Let cool a few minutes, and then plate and garnish with fresh Italian parsley sprigs and/or basil leaves.
Serve with a crusty baguette and a summer salad of bitter greens and black/green olives and oil and balsamic vinegar.