Baby Porcupine Appetizers Recipe

     1/2  cup           rice
   1      pound         ground beef
   1      tablespoon    onions -- minced
   2      tablespoons   green bell peppers -- finely chopped
     1/2  teaspoon      salt
     1/2  teaspoon      celery salt
   1      clove         garlic
   2      cups          tomato juice
   4                    cloves
     1/2  teaspoon      oregano
   2      tablespoons   Worcestershire sauce

Combine rice, ground meat, onion, green pepper, salt, celery salt and garlic; form into balls about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
Heat tomato juice, cloves, oregano and Worcestershire sauce in
skillet. Add meatballs. Cover tightly and simmer for 50 minutes. Remove
cloves before serving.

BABAGANOUSH (MY DOCTORED VERSION)

   2      tablespoons   Olive oil
   2                    Onions (chopped)
   2                    Stalks of celery -- chopped (optional)
     1/2                Red sweet pepper chopped -- for color
   1                    Eggplant (cubed -- about 3/4 inch)
   2                    Cloves of garlic -- chopped or mashed
     1/2  teaspoon      Ground cumin plus -- 1 pinch whole
     1/2  teaspoon      Ground coriander
     1/4  teaspoon      Ground pepper
     1/4  teaspoon      Crushed dried chili pepper
                        Salt (to taste)
   1      tablespoon    Tahini *
                        Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon -- (to taste) or lime
                        Handful of parsley or -- cilantro
                        scallion ends or -- chives
                        Black olives
                        Parsley sprigs -- and a lemon slice to
     

* Sesame paste. I've heard of substituting peanut butter, but never tried it.
The variable amounts of ingredients depend on your taste and on the size of the eggplant. Try it without celery and red pepper and then you can decide if you want to use it next time.
Saute onions, (celery & red pepper) till starting to brown (I do in a
wok). Add eggplant and garlic, stir well, add spices (not the salt), stir again and on very low fire, saute. May drop some liquid, that's all right, let it evaporate, and saute slowly until everything is very tender. Keep checking, it's better if it browns a little, but needs stirring so it doesn't burn. If it's too dry, add a few TBs liquid at a time (I use vegetable broth, liquid from steaming veggies, or liquid from microwaving mushrooms, etc. but water would probably do). Add salt, tahini and lemon juice, pulse a few seconds at a time in food processor or mash with potato masher -- can be slightly lumpy, too smooth is pretty awful. Add green stuff, pulse once or twice to chop coarsely and distribute or chop coarsely and stir in.
It's an ugly color, so I try to dress it up with a lemon slice, greens and black olives, seems to help. Serve with quarters of pita bread or mini pitas, it's finger food, a great appetizer with a curry meal