I'm finally back in the kitchen after travelling around South America for a month. And I thought that I would (as always) experiment on my friend Amanda when she came around for a catch up...
This recipe is inspired from the lovely restaurant in La Copula, in Copacabana, Bolivia.
Stuffed Eggplants.
400 grams lamb mince
1 large brown onion
2 small potatoes
1 turnip
1 parsnip
1 carrot
2 sticks of celery
1 can of tomatoes
2 large eggplant
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
150 grams of natural yogurt
1 packet of pine nuts
1 tbsp of olive oil
Heat oil in a pan and add the lamb and diced onion - cook until golden brown and then remove. Add the diced veggies (all around the same size - excluding the eggplant) and spices and toast for about 5-10 minutes. Return the lamb to the pan and add the can of tomatoes - cook for a further 5 minutes and then remove from the heat.
Whilst the mixture is cooling, halve the eggplant and remove the insides with a melon baller - remember to leave about a 1cm wide shell on the eggplant so that it will continue to hold its shape after it has been cooked. Add the carved out eggplant to the mixture and then fill the eggplant. Place on a baking tray and cook for 20 minutes on 180 degrees.
To serve, place the eggplant on a tray (halve an eggplant for each person) and then top with yogurt and pine nuts.
