Eggplant Provencale

Recipes Ingredients:

1 1/2 c Uncooked brown rice
3 c Minced onions
1 tb Olive oil
1 lg Red bell pepper, minced
1 pn Saffron
1 tb Sherry
3 c Water
1/2 ts Cayenne
1 1/2 ts Salt
2 md Tomatoes, chopped
2 tb Olive oil
1/2 c Chopped fresh parsley
3 md Eggplants
1/4 ts Black pepper
1/4 c Water
----------------------------
1/4 c Sherry
1/2 c Tomato juice
2 tb Olive oil
Chopped fresh parsely

Recipe Instructions:

Cook rice, sauteing it in olive oil & crumbling in the saffron before adding the water & salt. Brush a large Baking pan with olive oil. Leaving the stems on, slice the eggplants in half lengthwise & place face down on the pan. Add sherry & water. Cover tightly with aluminum & bake at 375F till tender, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, saute the onions in 2 tb olive oil for 10 minutes. Add peppers, 1 tb sherry & cayenne. Saute covered for 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, currants, parsley & black pepper. Simmer covered for a few minutes. Combine Rice & Vegetable mixture. When eggplants are cool enough to handle, gently mash them & push the soft middle to the side. Mound the Rice pilaf on each eggplant half. Pour tomato Juice into Baking pan, cover tightly & return to Oven to bake about 30 minutes. Serve garnished with almonds & parsley. "New Recipes From Moosewood Restaurant"