Home Restaurant Date Night #4 Stuffed Eggplant – Confidential Cook Book Cooking

The next book selected is the The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen apparently this is a classic cookbook and rated as ‘one of the most influential cookbooks of our time’. I hadn’t heard of the book but it is popular in the US. I’ve actually made some delicious recipes from the book including Apricot Almond Bread .

My review for the signature dish I selected , Stuffed Eggplant, was published on Bernadette’s New Classic Recipe website on April 16. You can read my review and find other recipes and reviews from the book club members HERE

Stuffed Eggplant

For my Home Restaurant Date Night #4 I selected for Stuffed Eggplant with Rosemary & Olive Foccacia, both from the Moosewood Cook Book. I chose the Stuffed Eggplant as both my husband and I enjoy Eggplant. I usually add it to my Mediterranean roasted vegetables.  There was an option to use a Sweet Pepper puree, however, I substituted baby tomatoes and made a tomato,garlic and baby spinach sauce.  I served with another recipe from the book, the Foccacia and adding Rosemary and Olive and a side of balsamic vinegar for dunking the bread.

45 minutes to prepare 30-40 minutes to bake
Serves 6

Notes:

• I prepared the filling and stuffed the eggplants in the afternoon then refrigerated until I was ready to cook. They took about 45 minutes in my oven.
• I had to convert from Imperial to Metric
• I also converted the servings to suit 2 rather than 4 – 6
• I preheated my fan forced oven to 180C

Ingredients

3 eggplants halved
1 onion minced
225gm (1/2 pound) mushrooms chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
5-6 cloves garlic minced
2 cups cooked brown rice (I used the 90sec microwave version)
1½ cups cottage cheese (I used low fat)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
½ cup packed minced parsley
soy sauce and tabasco to taste
handful of sunflower seeds
handful of sesame seeds
sprinkling of paprika

Method

1.     Scoop out flesh of eggplant leaving about half inch in the shell – cut finely or mince

2.     Sauté Onion, mushroom, basil, thyme, oregano and garlic for 5 minutes

3.     Add eggplant to onion mix and cook until tender – around 15 minutes then allow to cool slightly

4.     In a bowl combine cooked rice, cottage cheese, grated cheese, parsley, soy sauce and tabasco

5.     Add eggplant mix to the bowl and combine.

6.     Fill eggplant shells and sprinkle sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and paprika

Bake 375ºF 190ºC  around 170ºC for a fanforced oven for 40 minutes

Baby Tomato, Garlic and Baby Spinach Sauce

Punnet of baby tomatoes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 bag baby spinach leaves

Add tomatoes and garlic with some olive oil to pan and cook until tender. Just before serving add baby spinach leaves to pan and mix in allowing them to wilt.

How did the recipe rate?

✰✰✰ – The recipe was relatively easy but time consuming so I prepared and then refrigerated until I was ready to cook. The ingredients were readily available at my local supermarket or already in my pantry.
✰✰✰✰✰ – The meal tasted delicious with strong flavours and I would definitely make it again. I’m sure even meat lovers would be one over with this recipe.

I’m looking forward to the next Cookbook Confidential and trying new recipes.

Also joining in with Denyse Whelan for her weekly #WednesdaysWordsandPics