Karniyarik (Turkish Eggplant Dish)
- 6 Eggplants
- 1 Small Onion, Diced
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Cooking Oil
- 1 Tomato
- Salt And Pepper, to taste
- 6 Hot Green Chili Peppers
- To prepare this dish, start by preheating the oven to 400 F. Then, start preparing the eggplants by peeling off the skin in alternating strips.
- Once all the eggplants are peeled, add salt on all sides and set aside for about 20-30 minutes.
- The salt will help draw out any extra moisture.
- During this time, you can start preparing any side dishes.
- After 20-30 minutes, run the eggplant under cool water to wipe off the extra salt and squeeze out the remaining moisture, then pat dry with a paper towel.
- In a pan over medium heat, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Once hot add the whole eggplant and brown the eggplant on all sides until the eggplant is nice and soft.
- Once all the eggplants are browned, place them in a casserole dish and cut a slit down the length of the eggplant but dont cut all the way through.
- You will need to scoop out the center of the eggplant with a spoon (see picture on related blog post).
- In some recipes, it asks for you to toss out the center, while others say to incorporate with the filling.
- I choose to incorporate the flesh in the filling and end up mixing it up with the ground beef.
- I just think it adds extra flavor if you do.
- Once you are done scooping out the center of the eggplants, you will then need to start on the filling.
- In a pan over medium heat, add a drizzle of cooking oil and cook the onions until tender.
- Then, add the ground beef and the scooped out eggplant flesh and cook until done.
- Add some salt, pepper and tomato paste, then mix, and cook for about 2 more minutes or until meat is fully cooked and browned.
- Once the ground beef mixture is cooked, remove pan from heat.
- Put the filling into the hollowed out eggplants.
- Make sure to not over stuff.
- Top each one off with a sliced tomato and one hot green chili pepper.
- Then place in the oven and cook for about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve hot!
eggplants, onion, ground beef, tomato paste, extra virgin, cooking oil, tomato, salt, green chili peppers
Taken from tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/karniyarik-turkish-eggplant-dish/ (may not work)