Shrimp-Stuffed Eggplant
Serves 4. Bake at 400° F. for 20 minutes.
From: Corinne Cook of The Advocate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Another popular vegetable in Louisiana is eggplant. Could be from the influence of the Sicilian immigrants 100 years ago. Whatever the reason, it is a beloved dish when it is stuffed with seafood as a particular favorite.
Here the eggplant is halved lengthwise and partially cooked. The flesh is scooped out and then cooked together with onions, bell peppers, shrimp and garlic for the stuffing that is placed back into the shell and baked. Don’t worry if the eggplant shell tends to collapse or flatten from the weight of the stuffing. You are still able to pile quite a bit of the stuffing above the shell’s edge. Anything else left over can be placed in a casserole dish and baked as the stuffing dish it is!
Make sure you purchase small to medium-sized eggplants and they have smooth, shiny, blemish-free skins.
Ingredients:
2 small to medium eggplants
1 ½ lbs. shrimp
¼ cup vegetable/canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 slices day-old bread
1 Tablespoon butter
Salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper to taste
2 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup Parmesan cheese for topping
Directions:
Cut eggplant in half length-wise. Do not peel. Drop halves in boiling water and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes or until they are just tender. Drain.
Peel and devein shrimp. Cook shrimp in a little water or sauté in a little oil until just done. Do not overcook – usually 30 seconds per side or less.
Using a knife or grapefruit spoon, remove the eggplant pulp. Leave some of the pulp around the edges to form a shell. Don’t worry if the shells don’t stand upright. You can still put the stuffing over the flat shell. Put shells in greased baking dish. Chop eggplant pulp into small pieces; reserve.
Sauté onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic in oil until soft. Add chopped pulp.
Wet the slices of bread under running water and squeeze out most of the water.
Add the bread, butter and the salt and pepper to the eggplant mixture. Stir until bread is mixed with the eggplant and seasonings. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the beaten eggs. Blend well. Add cooked shrimp and fresh parsley.
Spoon stuffing into eggplant shells. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake in 400-degree oven until heated through, about 20 minutes.
Note: For other recipes visit my other fun blog -
Romancing The Chocolate