The following excerpt and recipe for Eggplant Boats Stuffed With Bulgur, Tomatoes, and Basil is from Diane Kochilas' cookbook "The Ikaria Way: 100 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes Inspired by My Homeland, the Greek Island of Longevity." It's available for purchase on Macmillan's website.

Eggplant has a special place in the cooking of the Eastern Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. It is said that there are a thousand recipes for this popular summer vegetable. This one is inspired by older island versions of stuffed vegetables when bulgur was more common than rice. Indeed, rice, not native to Greece, was once a luxury food reserved for holiday and wedding dishes and to feed sick people. Although rice has been cultivated in Greece since the middle of the twentieth century, recipes for vegetables (and meats) stuffed with bulgur still abound in the Aegean.

Eggplant Boats Stuffed with bulgur, tomatoes, and basil

  • Prep Time:3 hrs
  • Cook Time:1 hr
  • Total Time:4 hrs
  • Servings:4
  • Medium

    Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup bulgur wheat
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 4 medium eggplants - about 5 to 6 inches long
  • 4 tbsp extra-virgin Greek olive oil
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium red onion - chopped finely
  • 3 garlic cloves - minced
  • 1 tsp dried Greek oregano
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 pinch smoked paprika
  • 1 pound fresh plum tomatoes - about 8 cored seeded and chopped
  • 2 tsp sherry vinegar
  • 1 bunch fresh basil stems - trimmed and leaves roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp pine nuts - lightly toasted
Photo from Diane Kochilas

  • Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  • Step 2

    Place the bulgur in a medium bowl and pour the water over it. Let the bulgur soak until it expands, softens, and absorbs all the liquid, about 30 minutes. You can also prepare the bulgur ahead of time: Place it in a mixing bowl with 1 cup of room temperature water and leave it to soak, covered with a kitchen towel, for about 1 ½ to 2 hours, until it absorbs all the water and is tender but firm. Set it aside until ready to use.

  • Step 3

    In the meantime, halve the eggplants lengthwise, and score the flesh of each half in a 1-inch diamond pattern, about ½ inch deep. Brush the scored sides of eggplant with 2 tablespoons of oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay the eggplant halves, cut-side down, on the baking sheet, and roast until the flesh is tender and cooked, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

  • Step 4

    Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Season with spices and salt and pepper. Turn off the heat, stir in swollen bulgur, tomatoes, basil, and vinegar, and let sit about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  • Step 5

    Return the eggplant halves cut-side up to the sheet. Using a teaspoon, carefully remove the eggplant flesh, leaving each of the eggplant shells intact and about ⅛-inch thick around the perimeter, thick enough to hold the filling.

  • Step 6

    Chop the eggplant flesh and add it to the bulgur mixture. Mix well and adjust the seasoning.

  • Step 7

    Mound the filling into the eggplant shells, sprinkle with pine nuts, and bake for 20 minutes. Serve.

    Photo from Macmillan