Stuffed eggplant

Ingredients

One large eggplant
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
4 cloves Garlic, peeled and sliced
Two small yellow onions, chopped
Five medium Crimini mushrooms, washed and sliced
Tbsp butter
4 oz pancetta, cubed
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, Asiago or similar
2 tbsp capers
One egg or two egg whites
1/2 cup dry white wine

Preheat oven to 375
Slice eggplant in half lengthwise and score the inner meat with a knife, getting to about 1/2 inch from the skin but not piercing it.
Baste eggplant halves with olive oil, place skin side down in baking pan that has the bottom lightly coated with olive oil. Salt and pepper lightly. Bake for approx 20 minutes or until the cuts separate and the meat begins to soften. Remove from oven, but leave the oven on.

While the eggplant bakes, melt butter in a saute' pan. Add garlic and onions and cook until just browning. Add pancetta. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add mushrooms. Stir, cover, and cook until mushrooms shrink by about half. Remove cover, add wine. Stir well, boil down until the liquid is starting to thicken.

With a spoon, scrape the meat from the eggplant halves, leaving a thick layer of meat against the skin. Add the meat to the pan with the other ingredients, and stir together, simmering about five minutes and blending the eggplant in.

In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and cheese. Add the capers and the contents of the saute' pan and stir together. Beat egg and stir in. Spoon into eggplant halves and return to oven. Bake about 10-15 minutes until tops browned and sizzling. Remove from oven and let sit a few minutes before serving.