Tunisian Stuffed Vegetables with Meat

• 8 frozen artichoke bottoms, thawed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 small eggplants
• 2 small zucchini
• 3 small green or red bell peppers
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 stale baguette, or 1 matzo
• 1 pound ground lamb or beef
• 2 bunches of fresh cilantro, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3 small onions, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons harissa (see page 33)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
• 3 cups flour or matzo meal

1. First, prepare the vegetables for stuffing.
2. Put the artichoke bottoms in a large bowl with the lemon juice and water to cover.
3. Cut the eggplants once down the center lengthwise, and then across the width.
4. Scoop out some of the pulp from each piece, making sure you dont go all the way through the skin.
5. You should end up with four cuplike pieces for each eggplant, plus the pulp.
6. Cut the zucchini into three cylinders.
7. With an apple corer, remove the center, saving the pulp.
8. Cut the bell peppers in half widthwise, removing the pith, seeds, and stem.
9. Cut each half in two, then cut across, to make eight pieces.
10. Separate the rings.
11. To make the meatballs, first soak the bread or matzo in water for a few seconds, and then squeeze to drain.
12. Break up the bread or matzo.
13. Put the bread in a medium bowl with the meat, the cilantro, dill, parsley, onions, garlic, coriander, allspice, harissa, salt, pepper, and two of the eggs, and mix well.
14. Roll the meat mixture into balls of about 2 tablespoons each.
15. Press the meat into the artichoke bottoms, the hollowed-out eggplants, the pepper pieces, the onion and the zucchini.
16. Dont try to stuff too much into them.
17. Heat 2 inches of the vegetable oil in a frying pan.
18. Put the flour or matzo meal in a bowl.
19. Break the remaining egg into a second bowl, and mix well with the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
20. Dip the open part of each stuffed vegetable first in the flour and then in the egg.
21. This will help keep the meat together while frying, but you still have to be gentle when handling.
22. Fry the stuffed vegetables in batches in the oil until the meat is golden brown.
23. Remove and drain on paper towels.
24. Finish cooking in the tomato sauce (see page 226) with the reserved eggplant and zucchini pulp.

lemon, eggplants, zucchini, green, onion, baguette, ground lamb, cilantro, dill, parsley, onions, garlic, ground coriander, allspice, salt, freshly ground pepper, eggs, vegetable oil, flour

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/tunisian-stuffed-vegetables-with-meat-374022 (may not work)