Recipe: Italian Sausage Stuffed Eggplant

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Ingredients

•1 (1 1/2 pound) eggplant, halved lengthwise

•1 tablespoon olive oil

•1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage *** Recipe to follow

•1/4 teaspoon garlic powder *** homemade or like me, 2 cloves

•1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

•1/8 teaspoon black pepper

•2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs *** either SCD breadcrumbs or almond meal

•2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided *** homemade

•1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided *** sub a legal cheese like Havarti

•1 egg, beaten

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2.Brush cut sides of eggplant with olive oil and place, cut-side up onto a

baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then remove and allow to

cool slightly.

3.Meanwhile, brown the Italian sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat; drain

off the grease. Place into a mixing bowl, and season with garlic powder, Italian

seasoning, and pepper. Stir in bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup

of mozzarella cheese, and the beaten egg; mix well.

4.Once the roasted eggplant has cooled enough to handle, scoop out the flesh to

within 1/2-inch of the skin to create a shell. Roughly chop the eggplant meat,

and fold into the sausage mixture. Divide evenly among the two eggplant shells,

and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

5.Bake in preheated oven until the filling has set, and the cheese is bubbly and

golden-brown, about 30 minutes. While the eggplant is baking, warm the remaining

spaghetti sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat to serve with the eggplant.

*** 2 1/2 pounds lean ground pork butt or leaner cuts if desired

3 large cloves garlic, crushed

1/8 teaspoon dry basil

1/8 teaspoon dry oregano

1/8 teaspoon cracked rosemary

1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1 1/4 teaspoons fennel seed (up to 1 tablespoon if you like dominant fennel

flavor)

1/4 cup homemade beef or chicken broth or dry white wine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons Italian (flat leaf) parsley, chopped, (stems removed)

Casings (water packed)* not necessary since the recipe calls for bulk sausage

1.Hand-trim all visible fat from the outside of pork, then cube the meat,

removing interior fat as you find it. (I used already ground.)

2.Coarsely grind the pork and glean then ground meat, picking out gristle,

cartilage and veins of fat. Grind one more time.

3.After second grinding, place meat in a large bowl, add dry seasonings and

blend by hand to mix thoroughly to ensure it is spread throughout the meat.

4.Add broth or wine and mix again by hand.

5.Stuff by hand or use sausage stuffing attachment on electric meat-grinder no

necessary (do NOT use blade in meat-grinder when stuffing).

Yummy.

Misty Kimble

CD - no meds

SCD - 2 years