Stuffed Aubergine / Eggplant with Minced Beef Recipe (Karniyarik)

This impressive dish is a legacy of the Ottoman Palace kitchens and yet another of the imperial demands for ingenuity concerning the much loved eggplant, aubergine, you will find this dish wherever you go in Turkey! Though traditionally made with ground lamb, you may prepare it with ground beef or have a vegetarian version too. Simply replace the meat with your favorite vegetable (mushrooms, chickpeas work very well), sprinkle some grated cheese over the top and bake it, it turns out to be a delicious alternative.

We use a lot of onion and garlic in Turkish cooking. Both have very valuable health benefits; onions carry healthy bifidobacteria and suppress the growth of potentially harmful bacteria in the colon. In addition, they can reduce the risk of tumors developing in the colon. Another good reason to welcome them in our dishes!

You can cook this dish ahead of time and gently reheat in the oven. Karniyarik freezes very well, once cooked.

INGREDIENTS:

4 Medium aubergine

Salt

1/2 cup parsley

3 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 cup sunflower oil

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion – cut into small dice (about 1 cup)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

3 small sweet green chilies

minced 1 pound ground beef

pepper

4 tomatoes – 2 diced and 2 sliced

4 long green sweet chilies – for garnish (optional)

METHOD:

1. Peel the aubergines lengthwise in stripes of 3/4 inch until only %50 of the total skin is left. Then make vertical slits (but don’t cut all the way through) in the peeled portions of the eggplant, in order to create openings for the stuff. Sprinkle some salt inside and outside and let the aubergines sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Wash the parsley in a bowl with water and the vinegar, then drain and chop it and set aside
3. Put the aubergines dry. Heat the sunflower oil in a large skillet. Add the aubergines and cook them on all sides until they are golden and softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain them on paper towels while you prepare the filling.
4. Heat the olive oil in a medium pan. Add the onion, garlic and chilies and sauté until golden. Then add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. When the meat is no longer red, add half of the diced tomatoes. Cook over medium-low heat, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until all of the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, and set aside.
5. Preheat the oven for 180C, Using a spoon create some space inside the opening of the aubergines for filling. Stuff eash with the mixture of vegetables and beef. Put the aubergines in a baking dish and top each with the sliced tomatoes and, if you like, s sweet green chili. Season with salt and pepper. Pour 3/4 to 1 cup of boiling water over the aubergines and top with the remaining diced tomatoes. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 min. Remove the foil and continue baking for 15 min, or until the filling is browned.
6. Serve the stuffed aubergines with the tomatoes and juice from the pan.

You can serve it with rice, couscous or bulgur as desired