Gazprom Stuffed Arena

Ingredients

• 4 large eggplants
• 600 g ground beef
• 2 red onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 red chili peppers
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste (70 g)
• 2 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 200 g sour cream
• 1 bunch coriander
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1 cm border. Brush with 2 tbsp olive oil and roast for 20 minutes.
3. Chop onions and garlic. Finely chop chili peppers (remove seeds for less heat). Dice bell pepper and tomatoes. Roughly chop eggplant flesh.
4. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Sauté onion, garlic, and chili for 3 minutes. Add beef and brown.
5. Add bell pepper, tomatoes, eggplant flesh, tomato paste, paprika, and cumin. Cook for 5 minutes. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
6. Fill the roasted eggplants with the spicy beef mixture. Return to oven for 15 minutes.
7. Arrange the four stuffed eggplant halves in an oval stadium shape on a large platter. Spoon a stripe of sour cream in the center as the 'field.' Garnish with coriander.

Serving notes

• Serve on an oval platter for the stadium effect.
• Offer extra chili peppers for more tension.
• Provide small bowls of sour cream and coriander at the table.