Julie Goodwin’s Essential Cookbook ($39.99), published by Hachette Australia.

Stuffed Eggplant
Serves 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes

2 eggplants
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup olive oil
500 g lamb mince
3 brown onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin seed

½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon pepper
4 slices bread, processed to
a coarse crumb
1⅓ cups grated tasty cheese

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2 Cut the eggplants in half lengthways and scoop the flesh out of each half,
leaving a thin layer of flesh in the skins. Cut the removed flesh into 2 cm
cubes and sprinkle with half the salt.
3 Heat the olive oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat and fry the mince
until brown and cooked through. Rinse the eggplant cubes and squeeze dry
then add to the mince, along with the onion, garlic, spices, remaining salt and pepper. Stir until the onion and garlic are fragrant and translucent. Stir through the crumbed bread.
4 Pile the mixture into the eggplant halves and top each half with ⅓ cup
cheese. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until the
cheese is golden and bubbling.