Mushroom Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients

Eggplant……………..…1

Onion…………………….1 (small, chopped)
Tomato……………..…..1 (large, roughly chopped)
Garlic……………..........2 cloves (large, roughly chopped)
Chilli powder………….½ tea spoon
Button mushrooms…275 g (chopped in thin slices)
Fresh rosemary…..….2 stems (roughly broken with hand)
Cheese slices……….…2
Salt to taste

Method

• Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 2 pieces. Now using a spoon carefully scoop out the flesh of the eggplant from the middle of the 2 slices leaving 1 centimetre border. Rough chop the flesh and keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a pan. Add onions and cook until transparent.
• Add the tomato and garlic cook for 1 min.
• Mix in the chilli powder and then add the eggplant flesh just chopped. Add in the salt enough for all the ingredients in the pan and mix well. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 3 min.
• Now add the mushrooms, salt for the mushrooms, mix well and cover with a lid. Cook for 20 min. Stir every 5 min to make sure it doesn’t stich to the bottom of the pan.
• Place the scooped eggplant shells on a baking tray. Sprinkle salt and drizzle about 2 tablespoons of oil on each of them.  Stuff the eggplant with the mushroom filling just prepared.
• Pre-heat the oven at 230°C. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 30 min.
• Meanwhile cut each cheese slice in the middle into 2, lengthwise. Remove the tray and place the 2 pieces of the sliced cheese in the middle of the eggplant on the stiffing. Garnish with fresh rosemary.  Place the tray back in the oven and cook for 10 min.
• Serve hot.