Recently I have been obsessed with Middle Eastern flavors because of my good friend Kristina Telhami and her family who are from Pakistan. Her mom, Jamila, is an amazing cook and has showed me so many great seasonings and flavors that she uses in her cooking. I cannot get enough eggplant, lamb, ground beef, tahini, sumac, and so many other great foods because of it.

These eggplant boats are my spin on a few of my favorite Middle Eastern foods, eggplant, sumac, pomegranates, and ground beef. They are perfect for an easy dinner with lots of flavor.

Ingredients:

  1. 1 eggplant
  2. olive oil
  3. 1 lb ground beef
  4. 1/2 onion small diced
  5. 2 garlic cloves minced
  6. salt to taste
  7. 3 tsp thyme
  8. 2 tsp sesame seeds
  9. 3 tsp sumac
  10. pomegranate seeds to garnish
  11. toasted pine nuts to garnish
  12. optional garnish: Tahini drizzle

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven 350F
  2. Half your eggplant, scoop out the middle and place aside. put olive oil and a sprinkle of salt on both sides. Bake the eggplant halves for 25 minutes.
  3. While eggplant is baking, cube the scooped out eggplant.
  4. Over medium heat on the stove, add olive oil to a pan and saute your onions and cubed eggplant until onions are translucent. Add your garlic for the last two minutes and reserve to the side.
  5. Over medium heat and in an oiled pan saute your beef, adding salt to taste. Once halfway cooked mix in your thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac.
  6. Drain off some of the fat if it is too liquidy. Mix the beef with the onions and eggplant.
  7. Stuff the eggplant boats with the mixture and bake another 15 minutes.
  8. Top with pine nuts, pomegranates, and tahini and enjoy!
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