Very tasty, and I loved how the eggplant disintegrated to make the sauce even more rich and sumptuous. I used a very large "Mediterranean" eggplant, cut it into 1" slices and then cut those into 1"x2" chunks. A word of caution, however - when browning the eggplant, it would probably be better to use a non-stick pan. I browned the eggplant after I browned the beef in my stainless steel Texas fry-pan, and the eggplant stuck a fair bit. I deglazed with some beef stock and got the nice brown bits, but it could easily have burned. I also thought that 1/4 cup of olive oil seemed excessive until I started browning. Do yourself a favor and ration it out so you have enough to brown the eggplant after the beef!! I will definitely make this again :)
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I made tons of substitutions but i just wanted to say that i never knew that adding cinnamon to tomatoes gave such a mellow, deep flavor that is perfectly balance by the feta cheese. I have served it over pasta, and soft polenta - and polenta is my preference. I used jarred tomato sauce with italian sausage because i didn't want so much meat .. (among other things) - this also makes me think i might be able to finally really enjoy eggplant.
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This was great!! This will definitely be a regular in my house! Thanks for sharing!
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OMG I can not believe i forgot to rate this!! We love this recipe at my house with or without the feta, I have made it several times, we usually serve it over noodles. So sorry for not rating sooner:( Thank-you soooooooooooo much for sharing.
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We have two schools of thought in our house when it comes to stew. My husband loves traditional beef stew. I don't. With that, I made this stew. I thought it was terrific. My husband - not so much. He said it was too sweet.
I followed the directions precisely. I did sub the Japanese eggplant for a regular eggplant. Otherwise, followed it the same. It was completely and utterly delicious, I thought. I thought the feta added a lot to it, as well. I might try it again and eliminate the sugar. Overall, it was great. I'd give it 5 stars if DH loved it too..
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Delicious! I used 2 lbs. of ground Italian sausage, browned in a skillet, 2 regular eggplants (peeled and cut into cubes) and I also added some red, yellow and orange bell pepper strips. I also used a jar of pasta sauce instead of the tomato sauce. Cooked in the crockpot all day and served over rotini pasta with feta cheese on top. Family loved it, very tasty. Would definitely make again!
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We really liked this, I was quite surprised as we don't normally like cinnamon or anything cooked in a crockpot. This perfumed the house so nicely that it is almost worth making just for the smell alone!! Thank you for this recipe it will be well used in our house.
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I made this to take advantage of stewing beef and eggplant which were on special at my supermarket this week. I did all the prep work the night before and let it cook while I was at work. My house smelt so good when I came home tonight! We had it with pasta but I have enough left for a couple of more meals so we will enjoy it on its own, too. The only alterations I made were to use regular eggplants, since that was what was on special and I ran out of ground cloves so threw in 3 or 4 whole cloves.
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This had such a warmth to it, it even won over my two 22 year old boy roommates! They claimed to not like eggplant, not like stews, not like feta...but this recipe was a hit! They removed the parsley (too green for the boys), but I LOVED it. The only thing I added was double the cinnamon, and a can of stewed tomatoes. I served it over ditalini pasta, and added a photo, too. Thanks for the recipe!
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Thank you Evelyn/Athens - this was absolutely what the doctor ordered for our first chilly fall evening here in NY. Totally delicious! I also cooked this on the stove top, for about 2 hours over medium low heat. There were some eggplant pieces, and some of it had melted into the sauce, to make it lovely and rich. ONce I turned the heat off, I added the feta and stirred it in. I waited to serve it after about 10 minutes (just b/c it was so hot). We just had it in a bowl and scooped up all the lovely sauce! Oh, and I did add a pinch of cayenne about 1/2 way through the cooking, personally just love a little warmth with stew. Anyway, thanks for a lovely recipe. I'll be sending it by email to may family and friends so that they can try it!
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I have made this a number of times and so I am way past due on rating it. I have made it both on the stove top and in a crockpot and it has been wonderful either way. Even my 14 year old son who usually turns up his nose at eggplant, ate three helpings the last time. I have made it with the bigger eggplants (rather than the suggested japanese little ones) because that is what I had and it worked fine. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
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Delicious! Made this the other night for dinner. The flavors melded together nicely and my home smelled fantastic after a day at work. This is a great meal for nightly dinner or a comfy Sunday dinner. Serve with fresh crusty bread because you do not want to miss the leftover sauce. YUMMMMMY
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I love this recipe. I actually halved the meat since we are only 2 people. I left everything else as the recipe calls for. I love the spice combination. I also cooked it slowly in a pan on the stove. I did not add cheese, it does not need it. A definate keeper.
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I thought this was very good, TRUE!
Was confident enough to serve it first time to guests while entertaining too,
Tasty, delicious, keeper it will be,
Anyone else want to make it? Your reviews I'd like to see!
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Delicious! I made this just as the recipe directed, except cooked on the stovetop over low heat for several hours, instead of the crock pot. Even the kids like it. Most of the eggplant melted into the savory sauce. The feta cheese really adds a nice little contrast.
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