Stuffed Fairy Tale Eggplant

Two dollars. That's the cash I had left when I approached the Coleman Brothers tent at SKY Farmers Market. They were selling Fairy Tale Eggplant, a tiny variety of the purple vegetable, smaller even than the Japanese variety I've come to favor in the last few years. I wanted to try a few, so I asked for two dollars worth.

He gave me 35 of them - a perk of shopping before closing time, I suppose.

The lovely and delicious Fairy Tale Eggplant

Fairy Tale Eggplant are charming little things. They don't have much bitterness, and are sweeter when cooked than either of their larger, better known cousins. I think they'd make a great baba ghanoush, and they'd do well on the grill of course. But I decided to stuff them. It was the best way I could think of to make a meal out of so many of them.

Lamb-stuffed eggplant with roasted red pepper sauce

Lamb-stuffed Fairy Tale Eggplant
25-30 Fairy Tale Eggplant
1-2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 lb ground lamb
1/4 C bread crumbs
One egg
1/2 tsp Lebanese spice blend*
1/2 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling on eggplant
1/2 tsp mint
A few grinds of fresh black pepper
*The blend I have has all spice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, rose and cardamom. Any combination of these should be fine if you don't have this exact blend.

The hint of mint really livens up this dish and pairs well with both the lamb and the eggplant. If you only think of it as a dessert flavor, here's a good chance to see how it can shine in a savory dish.

Set oven to 400. Cut eggplants in half and arrange face up on a baking sheet. Brush tops with olive oil, sprinkle salt, and roast just long enough to get some color on the top, 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, combine lamb, bread crumbs, egg and spices, mixing with a spoon or (ideally) your hands until well combined. When eggplant are cool, top with about a tablespoon of the mixture. You'll want to cover the wide are of the eggplant but leave part of the stem end uncovered. Place back in oven for about 15 minutes. Serve topped with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (recipe below).

If you have leftover stuffing, roll into balls, saute in a little olive oil until brown on all sides, and then finish in the oven. These are an excellent chef's treat!

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
1 C plain yogurt (use Greek for a thicker sauce)
1/2 of a roasted red pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of cayenne

I'll admit it. I cheat and buy the jars of roasted red peppers. They aren't as good as homemade, but I don't have a good way to make my own in my kitchen (lousy electric stove) and they are a decent substitute.

Roughly chop red pepper. Add to yogurt with seasonings and blend with an immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.