I am an avid reader of SmittenKitchen blog and I was super excited to see her post on the feature in Everyday Food , one of my favorite Martha publications. I loved her creative use of eggplant as a little shell to "stuff" - you know my love of stuffing veggies and eggplant isn't going to escape. I didn't really follow her recipe exactly - its a bit past fresh tomato season and well I forgot mint at the store (at least remembered parsley for my chicken roasting/soup making later this week) but I want to give some credit to the inspiration for tonight's dinner. I served these eggplant cups alongside some grilled steak tips (a cut that I NEVER see in NJ but grew up loving in New England!) and roasted zucchini.
Stuffed Zucchini Cups
1 large eggplant- cut in 3/4" rounds (this should make about 7 -8 "cups")
1 c orzo
2 c water
1/2 onion - finely diced
5 cloves of garlic - minced
olive oil
1/4 c fresh parsley - diced
2 c fresh tomato - diced (I used a whole box of mini campari tomato but about 4 large tomato would work too)
1/2 c herbed feta crumbles
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 c shredded mozzarella
1) Coat a baking sheet with a thick coat of oil (don't be skimpy here because it this how you are going to get a nice crispy brown on the eggplant) and salt and pepper and place in 425 F oven for 15-20 min or until crispy brown on the bottom - flip and add a scoop of mozz to the top of each eggplant then cook an additional 10-15 min,
2) While waiting on the eggplant, in a sauce pan heat some oil and saute some onions until translucent, add 1/2 of the garlic to pan and let saute till fragrant
3) Add the water and bring to a boil
4) Add orzo and lower heat - keep at a boil for 20 min or until all water is absorbed
5) In a large bowl add tomatoes,cheese, remaining garlic, parsley with 2 tbsp olive oil and salt & pepper
6) When the orzo is cooked remove from heat and fluff with a fork before adding to the tomato mixture and toss
7) Add a full scoop of the orzo mixture to the top of each eggplant cup and serve
