Eggplant Stuffed With Bulgur and Herbs
ALL ABOUT BULGUR
Bulgur is a kind of miracle cereal grain! I love to work with it because it’s super easy and fast to cook, very versatile, and it has a beautiful earthy flavor that pairs so well with most Mediterranean cooking. Indeed, it’s one of the oldest grain products in the region.
A lot of people confuse it with cracked wheat. It is cracked wheat, usually Durum, but with a difference. Bulgur is parboiled. That’s what makes it so easy to use–it needs much less cooking time. In fact, it doesn’t have to be cooked at all; you can just soak it in water or broth to soften it. It also has a longer shelf life than cracked wheat.
Bulgur is also very nutritious. It’s an excellent source of plant-based protein and fiber and is rich in many vitamins and minerals, especially manganese.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup coarse bulgur
- ⅔ cup water vegetable stock at room temperature
- 12 medium eggplants
- ⅔ cup extra virgin Greek olive oil
- 3 large red onions finely chopped (about 2 ½ cups)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ⅓ cup dry white wine plus ½ cup more if necessary during cooking
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- ⅔ cup pine nuts lightly toasted
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 red onion peeled, halved and sliced
Instructions
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Place the bulgur in a medium bowl and pour in the water or vegetable stock. Let it soak for 2 hours until most of the liquid is absorbed.
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Wash and trim the eggplants, but leave the stems intact. Slit them down in the middle without cutting all the way through. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over low heat and place the eggplants in the skillet. Cover and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until they’re softened and lightly browned. Remove and cool until they can be easily handled.
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Heat 2 more tablespoons of olive oil in the same skillet, and cook the onions over medium heat, stirring until wilted, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for a minute. Pour in the wine and cook until it boils off, about a minute or two. Remove from the heat. Add the onion-garlic mixture to the bulgur. Add the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, herbs and pine nuts and season with salt and pepper.
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Preheat the oven to 350F/170C. Generously oil an ovenproof glass baking dish large enough to hold all the eggplants snugly. Gently pull apart the eggplants at the slit to make room for the stuffing. Do not pull them apart completely. Fill each eggplant with the stuffing, mounding it slightly. Place in the pan. Cover and bake for about 45 minutes until the eggplants are tender and the sauce on the bottom of the pan is thick. Add a little water or wine to the tomatoes during cooking, if necessary, to keep the bottom of the pan from drying up. Remove, cool and serve.
