Curried Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant

We threw this dish together last night, not knowing how delicious it was going to be.  It is one of my new favourite meals, and I cannot wait to make it again! 

Curried Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant

* This recipe is a easier than it looks.  I've just broken it down into two major steps: the curried shrimp and the veggie mixture.  You fill an emptied out eggplant with these things, top it with Havarti and bake it until it's bubbly and utterly ridiculous.

Curried Shrimp

- 2 T butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 T fresh ginger, minced
- 1/4 white onion, minced
- 1 lb shrimp (raw, de-veined, tails off)
- T curry powder
- T tumeric
- salt and pepper to taste
- T lime juice
- 1 cup coconut cream (or about 3/4 can)

Heat the butter on medium in a frying pan.  Once hot, add the garlic, ginger and onion and stir around.  Add the shrimp and cook until almost done (done once white/pink).  Add the spices and lime juice.  Stir.  Add the coconut cream and simmer for a few minutes until shrimp is done. 




Veggie Mixture

- 1 eggplant (cut in half and carefully spoon out the insides, leaving the purple "shell"of the eggplant to fill; dice up the eggplant innards)
- T olive oil
- 1/4 bell pepper, diced
- 2 T fresh herbs (we used rosemary, basil, thyme and chives from the yard)
- 3 small mushrooms, diced
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- tsp ginger powder
- tsp garlic powder
- tsp lemon juice
- about 2/3 cup grated Havarti cheese

Heat the oil in a pan.  Once hot toss in the eggplant, mushrooms, bell pepper and fresh herbs.  Cook a minute or so.  Add the bread crumbs, spices and lemon juice.  Cook until veggies are softened.

Put the emptied out eggplant "shells" on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Fill about half way with the veggie mixture, then the other half with the curried shrimp.  Top with grated Havarti cheese.  It melts beautifully and pairs very well with the curry.

Bake in a pre-heated oven 350 F for about 25 minutes.

Have you ever made stuffed eggplant?  Do you like eggplant?