Stuffed Eggplant for Four
  by Amy Rabb-Liu


2 medium/small eggplants
2 medium tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1 sweet orange bell pepper
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
3 T uncooked rice
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 cup crushed tomatoes in puree
3/4 cup red wine
salt, pepper, olive oil, water

1.  Cut each eggplant in half the long way.  Cut off the stem.
Use a melon baller to hollow out each half, leaving 1/4 to 1/2
inch thick shell.  Put removed pieces in colander, sprinkle 
generously with salt and allow them to drain.  Sprinkle 
insides of eggplant shells generously with salt.

2.  Get two medium bowls.  Put meat in one medium bowl.  

3.  Finely chop one tomato, add to meat.  Peel and coarsely
chop other tomato, put in other bowl.

4.  Finely chop half of bell pepper, add to meat.  Coarsely
chop other half of pepper, add to other bowl.

5.  Put half of garlic in each bowl.  Put chopped onion
in bowl with no meat. 

6.  Add rice, 2 t olive oil, half of parsley, 1 1/2 T water,
and salt and pepper to taste to bowl with meat.  Mix well.

7.  Thoroughly rinse eggplant pieces in colander, squeeze dry.
Coarsely chop.

8.  In wide, deep pan (wide and deep enough to hold the four
eggplant halves), heat olive oil over medium high heat.
Add chopped eggplant, and contents of meatless bowl.  Cook
over medium heat (reduce the heat) stirring often for about
10 minutes until vegetables are softened.

9.  Rinse eggplant halves well.  Stuff each half with 1/4 of
meat mixture.  Place halves on top of cooked veggies in pot.
Add 1/4 cup water to pot.  Pour some crushed tomatoes over
eggplant halves and put the rest into the pot.  Pour some
wine over the eggplants, and the rest into the pot. Gently
stir the veggies around the eggplants to incorporate liquids.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 90
minutes, occasionally basting tops of eggplants with pot sauce. 
Dish is done when meat is cooked through.  

10. Sprinkle with rest of parsley and serve warm.