Babushka Eggplants (Georgian-Style Eggplants Stuffed with Carrot, Parsnip & Capsicum)

Ingredients:

For the eggplants

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 medium to large eggplants, halved
• 5 medium carrots, grated
• 1 parsnip, grated
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• 1 green capsicum (pepper), chopped finely
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 bay leaves
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or a few sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• salt and black pepper to taste

For the sauce

• 3 cups water
• ¾ cup tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200˚C (approx. 390˚F).
2. With a spoon, scrape out the flesh of the eggplant halves, chop it roughly and set aside. Place the hollowed out eggplant halves in a greased baking dish, season them and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Place a fry pan over medium heat, pour in the olive oil, and cook the onion until soft and translucent. Add the eggplant flesh, garlic, grated carrots, parsnip and green capsicum and cook for a further 10 minutes (the vegetables will soften). Add the tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, maple syrup and seasoning and cook for another 25-30 minutes.
4. Stuff the eggplants with the vegetable mixture evenly. Mix the tomato paste, maple syrup and seasoning with the water and pour into the baking dish. (At this point I usually drizzle a little more olive oil over the eggplants.)
5. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake for a further 30-45 minutes. The dish is ready when the eggplants have softened and the sauce has thickened (it should not be watery).
6. Let rest for 30 minutes before serving as the eggplants will absorb more moisture and the sauce will thicken a little. Or refrigerate when cool and eat cold the next day (the flavours will be even better).


Source:

http://tanyazouev.com/babushka-eggplants-georgian-style-eggplants-stuffed-with-carrot-parsnip-capsicum/