Bacon & Goat Cheese Stuffed Eggplant

A break from shrimp! This creation was modified from a recipe out of the Today's Kitchen cookbook. I got this cookbook for Michael a while back and we'd never gotten around to cooking anything from it. The book features recipes from various chefs who've been on the show. This particular one was by Nigella Lawson - a British cook (had to google that one :). We made a few changes - like using goat cheese instead of feta and adding some crumbled bacon. Of course, if you're a veggie, just omit the bacon (or if you want to save some time). The stuffing is actually very delicious alone - you could probably use it in several other recipes (or even as a salad topper). It's so rich that one eggplant is probably enough to serve 4 as an appetizer. You will likely have extra cheese filling - do with it as you'd like! If you don't have a grill pan, you can use a regular grill or stovetop griddle.

Ingredients

• 6 strips bacon
  
• 1 large eggplant, cut thinly, lengthwise
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 4 oz. goat cheese
• 1 red chile, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cook bacon according to directions. Let cool on paper towels. Crumble once cool & set aside.
   
2. Heat grill-pan over high heat.
3. Brush both sides of eggplant w. oil. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden and tender.
4. Combine bacon crumbles, cheese, chile, jalapeno, mint, lemon juice, and pepper in a small bowl.
5. Divide cheese stuffing among eggplant slices and roll up. Hold in-place with a toothpick. Garnish with extra mint leaves, if desired.