Karniyarik (Turkish stuffed aubergines)

This is a very popular recipe in Turkey, where aubergine is also used in many stews.

Karniyarik (pronounced carneyárek) literally means "cleft bellies" (karni is belly while yarik means cleft), since it refers to opening the vegetable and filling it with meat.

It is a very easy recipe to make. If you go to Turkey you will see it in all the restaurants, whether they are the most luxurious or the neighborhood ones. Sometimes it is prepared in the oven - which takes more than an hour to prepare - or it is made in the pan, like this recipe that I present, and which takes less than half an hour.

INGREDIENTS (4 people):

• 4 large black skinned aubergines
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 400 grams (14 oz) of ground beef
• 1 large purple onion (sweet)
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 ripe red tomatoes
• Green peppers for garnish
• Black pepper
• Peppers
• Salt
• Oil

Cut the aubergines in half and remove the pulp with the help of a spoon, trying not to break the skin. We season the extracted pulp and fry it in a little olive oil. Remove and reserve letting the excess oil drain.

In a frying pan with a generous jet of oil, fry the finely chopped onion and the minced garlic without the germ. When the onion is transparent we add the meat, the tomato paste and the spices. When the meat is well done add the pulp of the aubergine and mix well.

The way to plate is as follows. The skins that we have reserved we pass a little through the pan. Then we spread them and in the center we place the mixture of meat and pulp. On top of them, a tomato slice passed briefly through the pan and a green pepper for decoration. It is served hot and accompanied by white rice.

The skin of the eggplant is not eaten in this case. If it is baked, the skin is cooked, but it is not usually eaten either.

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