Stuffed Grilled Eggplant

I love the daily trek into my backyard garden to see the progress of growing peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, eggplant and zucchini.

Water? Check. Pull weeds? Check. Stake the tomatoes? Check. Harvest time? Priceless.

Today, I picked my first eggplant.

So, what’s on the menu? Stuffed Grilled Eggplant of course.

Your ingredients are: One large eggplant, two links of Italian sausage, a green pepper, small onion, fresh parsley and rosemary, a little gravy master, matzo meal, olive oil, salt and pepper, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, and grape tomatoes.

In a small glass bowl add two tablespoons oil, sprinkle some salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and garlic powder. Stir well.

Slice the eggplant in 1 ¼ inch rings. Remove the guts and rough cut them. Put aside on a cookie sheet.

Heat the grill on high. 

Using a pastry brush, lightly swipe both sides of the eggplant rings with the oil. 

Remove the sausage meat from its casings and sauté in a pan on medium high heat. Add ½ of an onion chopped, ½ cup diced green pepper, one tablespoon snipped parsley and one teaspoon minced rosemary. Cook until brown. Add the rough cut eggplant and continue to sauté on low. Add a drop of gravy master for color and mix well.

Carefully place the sliced eggplant on the hot grill and cook for three to five minutes on each side creating nice grill marks. Remove and return to the cookie sheet.

Slice your tomatoes in two and add them to the sausage mix. Toss until they wilt. Add a palm size amount of matzo meal to thicken it up slightly. Remove from heat. 

Plate your eggplant rings and scoop a generous amount of stuffing into the center. Serve with fresh beets and a side salad. 

For me, I get satisfaction watching my garden grow. It excites me to see the fruits of my labor and I love that my family reaps the benefits of homegrown veggies.

Until next time, mangiare bene!