Frankie Laine was a Sinatra-era Italian singer and since his name is on the recipe, he gets the credit. I have no idea if he was a good singer but he definitely knew what to do with an eggplant.
Eight ounces of beef goes a long way --- the mushrooms and chopped eggplant absorb its flavor and it's hard to discern what's beef and what's veggie... it all tastes delicious and beefy, so you could concievably get a lot of veggies into kids by calling this a 'purple hamburger boat ' or some such silliness.
Preheat the oven to 350. Cut an average, 2 to 2 1/2 lb purple eggplant in half lengthwise. Cut & scoop out the pulp, leaving a 1/2" shell. Dice the pulp. Saute it in 1/4 c. oil in a large skillet along with 1 lb mushrooms, 1/4 c. chopped green pepper, 6 chopped green onions, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 1/2 lb ground sirloin, until the meat is browned. Then add 1 c. red wine, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 TB chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp paprika, 2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese. Cook for about 30 minutes or until most of the moisture has been absorbed.
FIll the eggplant shells and cover each with 2 slices of mozzarella cheese. Place in a shallow baking dish with 1/4" water in it. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the eggplant is tender and the cheese is melted. Serves somewhere between 2 and 4 people.
