Eggplant stuffed with minced meat – Karnıyarık
Wonderfully tasty and simple food from the diverse cuisine of Turkey. I tried this food at a dinner in Istanbul. I think I was able to reproduce the flavors that made this dish so special in my homemade version. It is an eggplant stuffed with minced meat seasoned and cooked in tomato sauce and baked in the oven, which is eaten either as a side dish or as a main dish.
Preparation time: 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours
Level: Easy
Serves: for two
Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants
300 g of high-quality ground beef
400 g can of crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion finely chopped
4 medium cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely ground dried mint or a bunch of fresh
0.5 tsp of ground cumin
0.5 tsp ground sweet paprika
0.5 tsp ground black pepper
Sea salt for seasoning minced meat and eggplant
A handful of cherry tomatoes
Half a fresh bell pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil for frying
Preparation:
- Heat the oven to 200 degrees C. Place the aubergines in a roasting pan and bake for 1 hour until the aubergines are soft.
- While the aubergines are cooking, chop the onion, garlic, and parsley and brown them in olive oil with the minced meat for about 15 minutes.
- When the minced meat is browned, add half the amount of crushed tomatoes, season with cumin, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and paprika, mix, and simmer for a few minutes. Season with sea salt.
- When the eggplant is soft, cut its upper half lengthwise with a sharp knife. Do not cut the eggplant completely in half.
- Press the opening larger, season it with salt, and fill it with the minced meat mixture. Pour the other half of the can of crushed tomatoes around the eggplants. Place strips of paprika and cherry tomatoes on the surface of the minced meat. Sprinkle the remaining cherry tomatoes on top of the crushed tomatoes.
- Bake for 30 to 60 minutes at 200 degrees C until the eggplant is quite soft and the minced meat is very lightly browned. Do not over-brown the minced meat, it will become dry.
- When serving, sprinkle over good-quality olive oil on the food.
Serve immediately, but this food is also very tasty when cooled.
Ready!!
