Karniyarik (Turkish ground beef stuffed eggplant)

Step 1/4

• 2 eggplants
• 1 tbsp olive oil

• oven
• cutting board
• knife
• baking dish

Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F. Peel the eggplants lengthwise, alternating to create a striped pattern. Make a shallow cut along the length of each eggplant and rub the flesh with olive oil and salt. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for approx. 30 min., or until they are soft and lightly browned.

Step 2/4

• 200 g tomatoes
• 10 g parsley
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 300 g ground beef
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 4 tsp tomato paste
• 200 ml water
• olive oil

• frying pan
• spatula
• saucepan

Chop tomatoes and finely chop parsley. Peel and mince onion and garlic. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, then add ground beef. Add onion and garlic and sauté for another 5 min. Add spices and half the tomato paste, tomatoes, and parsley. Stir to combine. In a separate saucepan, bring water to a boil with the rest of the tomato paste.

Step 3/4

Remove the eggplants from the oven and use a fork to make room for the filling where you had sliced it before baking. Fill with the minced meat mixture.

Step 4/4

• green pointed pepper (for garnish)
• red pointed pepper (for garnish)

Top each eggplant with thin strips of green and red pointed pepper. Pour the tomato sauce into the dish, and bake at 200°C/390°F. for approx. 15 min., or until the peppers are lightly browned. Enjoy!

Enjoy your meal!