Turkish Stuffed Eggplant

Using a small knife, peel 4 wide vertical strips off each eggplant, striped-pajama fashion. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise.

Heat the olive oil and shallow fry the eggplant over a medium-high heat until browned all over. You may need to cook in batches, depending on the size of your pan. Remove eggplant and drain on kitchen paper. Reserve any remaining olive oil.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).

In the same pan over medium heat, fry onions for a few minutes, stirring until translucent. Add bell peppers and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add beef or lamb mince and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.

Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and half the chopped parsley to the mixture. Season with pepper and salt. Stir the mixture for 5 minutes and set aside to cool.

Place reserved eggplant in a shallow casserole dish, cut side up. Using a knife, slice each eggplant vertically, about 2/3 of the way through, and gently pry open the sides to widen the eggplant. Season with salt and gently press the sliced garlic into the flesh.

Fill each eggplant with the reserved filling. Top each eggplant with sliced tomatoes and sliced chili. Pour the boiling water around the eggplant. Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Place in the oven for 45 minutes.

To serve, sprinkle the remaining parsley and paprika, if using. Serve with a green salad and garlic yogurt.