Stuffed Baby Eggplants

Its name meaning the “sovereign of stuffed things,” this classic dish is ideally made with eggplants that are very small, taut, and shiny. Larger eggplants will work, but the result is less delicate.

Though it was historically frowned upon for its strong flavor, an eggplant properly prepared is indeed the queen of vegetables, inspiring the tenth-century Syrian poet Kushajim to write, memorably, “My doctor makes ignorant fun of me for loving eggplant, but I will not give it up. Its f