Karniyarik (Turkish Lamb-Stuffed Eggplant)

From the garden

• 4 medium slender eggplants, stems left on, skin peeled in lengthwise stripes · about 8 oz each; Italian or Japanese types both work
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium ripe tomatoes, 2 diced, 1 sliced into thin rounds
• 2 long green peppers, 1 diced, 1 cut into strips · Anaheim, Italian frying, or a bell pepper
• ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

From the pantry

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ cup olive oil · for frying the eggplants, plus 1 tbsp for the filling
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 cup long-grain rice · for serving
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Peel each eggplant in stripes so it looks like a zebra, leaving the stem on. Sprinkle generously with salt and set in a colander for 15 minutes while you start the filling; pat dry before frying.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Brown the ground lamb, breaking it up, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F, 6–7 minutes. Add the onion and diced pepper and cook until soft, 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, and pepper flakes for 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes and simmer until the mixture is thick and jammy, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in most of the parsley, and set aside.
3. Heat the 1/2 cup olive oil in a wide skillet over medium. Fry the eggplants whole, turning every few minutes, until the flesh is soft and collapsing and the skin is deeply browned, 12–15 minutes. Move them to a baking dish that holds them snugly in one layer. Start the rice now in a separate pot.
4. Heat the oven to 375°F. Cut a slit down the length of each eggplant, stopping short of both ends, and push the flesh apart with a spoon to make a pocket. Salt the inside lightly, then mound the lamb filling into each one. Lay a tomato round and a strip of pepper on top of each.
5. Whisk 1 tsp tomato paste (reserved from the filling, or a fresh spoonful) into 3/4 cup hot water with a pinch of salt and pour it around, not over, the eggplants. Bake uncovered 25–30 minutes until the tops are browned, the broth has thickened, and a knife slides through the eggplant with no resistance.
6. Rest 10 minutes, then serve each eggplant over rice with the pan juices spooned around and the remaining parsley on top.