Moussaka-Style Stuffed Eggplant (Aubergine)

Submitted by Chef Kate

"A wonderful way of creating four self-contained servings of moussaka. What makes it wonderful is the quality of the ricotta--the best way (and most economical)is to make your own."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 50mins
• Ingredients: 20
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 2 (1 lb) eggplants, medium-sized
• kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus
• extra oil, for rubbing the eggplants
• 3⁄4 lb lean ground lamb
• 1⁄2 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, peeled, seeded and diced
• 3⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1⁄2 cup fresh ricotta
• 1 1⁄3 cups fresh ricotta
• fresh ground pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 -2 tablespoon milk
• 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• fresh parsley (to garnish)

directions

1. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and score the interior of each half, leaving about a third of an inch thickness on the perimeter.
2. Use a paring knife and a spoon to scoop out the interior of the eggplant, leaving a 'boat.'.
3. Using a fork, pierce the skin in several places, liberally salt the halves and place them upside down on paper towels to drain for about 30 minutes.
4. Chop the eggplant flesh into 1/2" cubes and set aside 4 cups of the cubes (reserve any excess for another recipe).
5. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
6. Wipe the eggplant shells out with paper towels, brush the skin lightly with a little olive oil, and place them on a baking sheet.
7. Bake them until they are just tender (about ten minutes) then remove from the oven and set aside in a baking dish.
8. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
9. Add the lamb and cook, breaking up the pieces, until lightly browned--about 5 minutes.
10. Add the onion, garlic, 4 cups of eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is soft--about five more minutes.
11. Add the tomatoes, bell pepper, cloves, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne and cook until the mixture is fairly dry.
12. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the ricotta.
13. Season to taste and spoon into the 4 eggplant halves.
14. Place the remaining 1 and 1/3 cups of ricotta in a small bowl and stir in the nutmeg and enough milk until the consistency of the cheese mixture is spreadable.
15. Spread it over the filled eggplant halves and sprinkle the tops with parmesan.
16. Bake until the tops are very brown--25 to 35 minutes.
17. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Reviews

[Spencer #2]

I made this for dinner tonight and would definitely not make again. The combination of spices is overwhelming and not good. It did not taste anything like Greek Moussaka. If I ever made something similar, I think I would just add salt, pepper and garlic. The flavor was somewhere between bad pie and I don't know what else. The vegetable and cheese combination could be good but I couldn't taste anything other than the over powering spices.

 

[CIAone]

Excellent recipe!<br/>The ricotta adds so much to the overall flavor and texture of the dish.<br/>I used a sweet red pepper instead of green. Also, added more cayenne pepper for a bit of a kick!<br/>Would also make a great casserole with chopped up eggplant instead of stuffing the shells.<br/>Highly recommended.

 

[Chef Emstar]

I've made this several times and its always a hit. Even people that don't like lamb OR eggplant like this. I only use 1/4 tsp. of clove otherwise I think its a little overpowering. I usually make my own ricotta as suggested. This is truly a wonderful dish. Thank you so much for posting it Chef Kate.

 

[Maito]

Absolutely delicious! No problem with textures or wateriness for us. Not sure if this made the difference, but I covered the eggplant cubes lightly with olive oil and roasted them along side the shells for 15 minutes, instead of sauteeing them. I used ground turkey breast, red bell pepper, and did just a pinch of the cloves, cinammon and nutmeg for DH's taste. I compensated by increasing the cumin and adding a teaspoon of ground coriander. I also just added the ricotta as a topping. I think adding some cubed baked potatoes to this would be great! Quite a bit of work, but worth it. It has phenomenal flavor!

 

[Geema]

The flavor of this eggplant dish was fabulous, each vegetable and spice contributing to a delicious whole. I used a bit more cayenne for our taste, otherwise followed the directions faithfully. The eggplants looked beautiful coming out of the oven and made an excellent presentation with the creamy, golden topping. My DH and I did have one complaint, however. The texture of the eggplant filling was "watery" to us. It was definitely not the fault of the recipe, since I have made other eggplant type casseroles and they have all had that same unpleasant texture. It's not that we don't like eggplant...we do. Perhaps adding some cooked rice to the mix before stuffing the eggplants would absorbe some of the moisture and firm up the finished product. Again, the flavor of this dish is exceptional and worth making for those people who enjoy eggplant.