Ingredients
• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 600g lamb mince
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 Tbsp dried mint
• 2 handfuls fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1⁄4 bunch parsley, leaves picked
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
• 4 eggplants
• 100g parmesan, grated
• 500ml chicken stock
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 40ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• Extra parsley, chopped, to serve
• Steamed rice, to serve
Method
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Preheat oven to 200°C.
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Heat oil in a small heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden. Set aside.
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Put lamb, garlic, cinnamon, chilli, mint, breadcrumbs, egg and parsley in a food processor and season well.
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Halve eggplant lengthways. Using a melon baller, scoop out about 1⁄2 the flesh to leave a cavity. Set aside.
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Season inside each eggplant half, then spoon equal amounts of lamb mixture into each cavity. Top each half with a little cheese. Put eggplant in a baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 170°C.
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Combine stock, tomato paste, tomatoes, eggplant balls and oil. Pour mixture around eggplant, but don’t cover entirely. Add bay leaves. Cover dish with a sheet of baking paper, then with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
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To serve, sprinkle parsley over eggplant halves and spoon over any sauce. Serve with rice.
