i've been stuffing eggplant like this as a nice special-occasion thing for a couple years now. here's my recipe's most recent incarnation, which i like to serve simply with a bit of rice and beans:

stuffed eggplant of AWESOME

serves 4

1 medium eggplant, halved lengthwise
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
4 mushrooms, chopped
1/2 of a 150 ml jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 small zucchini, chopped
1 small wedge of brie, cubed
2-3 tablespoons crushed tomato
1 small handful fresh basil, sliced into thin ribbons (or chiffonade, if you prefer)
1 small serrano or other small chile, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
a few glugs of good olive oil

preheat oven to 400 degrees. place eggplant, cut sides down, in a glass baking dish and fill about halfway with water. cover with tinfoil and place in preheated oven for about twenty minutes, until eggplants are soft. meanwhile, prepare the other vegetables and things for stuffing. combine bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, chile, zucchini, and basil, and set aside. when eggplants are soft, remove from oven, drain, and carefully turn over onto a clean work surface. scoop out most of the seedy portion of the insides, leaving a nice trough for filling with stuffing ingredients. place eggplant halves back in baking dish, and divide stuffing mixture between them. sprinkle the bits of brie overtop and cover with crushed tomato, a good crackling of freshly ground pepper, and a sprinkling of salt. add a few good glugs of olive oil to the dish, cover again with tinfoil, and return to the hot oven. bake another 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melty and the vegetables are soft. serve with rice and beans, or whatever.

addendum: it's nine below zero!

it's been years since i've listened to nick drake.

he's still really good.

if you don't listen to nick drake, you really, really should.