Lisa of Transplanted Taste Buds is out this weekend, but we wanted to bring you a delicious dish anyway. We can't cook like Lisa can, so we got a little help from Bella Luna. Enjoy!

Eggplant puttanesca is a delicious vegetarian meal with an Italian flair, perfect for friends and family alike. After the jump, learn to make Bella Luna executive chef Jacob Zachow's take on the dish. (Interesting eggplant photographed by RJL20.)

Ingredients:

1 Large Eggplant
2 Cans Chick Peas
4 Ounces Ricotta Cheese
1 Red Pepper, Roasted, Peeled and Cleaned
10 Garlic Cloves, Roasted
1 Small Spanish Onion, Diced Small
10 Kalamatta Olives
2 T Capers
1/2 Can Artichoke Hearts, Quartered
2 T Chopped Garlic Cloves
Kosher Salt
Ground Fresh Pepper
1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan
1/2 Cup Burgundy Wine
1 Cup Basil Marinara
2 T Chopped Rosemary
2 T Chopped Fresh Thyme
2 T Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
4 T Olive Oil
2 Cups Baby Arugula

Method:

1. Combine chick peas, roasted red peppers, ricotta cheese, roasted garlic, lemon juice, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper into food processor and pulse until smooth consistency is reached.

2. Cut eggplant into 4 equal size cylinders and lay flat on your cutting board. Now take a paring knife and slightly hollow out the center being careful not take to much of the center out and not going all the way through.

3. Pre-heat your over to 375 degrees. Next take chick pea mixture and spoon generously into hollowed out eggplant sections. Now grease a baking pan with a little olive oil and lay eggplant filling side up on it. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until soft to the touch.

4. Put a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Next add 2 T olive oil, diced onions, chopped garlic, kalamatta olives, capers, and quartered artichoke hearts. Sautee for about 10 minutes or until onions start to turn a golden color. Deglaze by adding burgundy wine, basic marinara, fresh herbs, and fresh squeezed lemon juice and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Finish seasoning with salt and pepper.

5. For presentation, serve on a large square plate if you have it (but any large plate will do). Spread the puttanesca sauce over the bottom of the four plates. Top with Arugula and set stuffed eggplant on top of the Arugula in the center of the plate. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese.

If you're too lazy to make this delicious dish yourself, you can buy it for a mere $14 at Bella Luna Restaurant, located above the Milky Way Lounge and Lanes at 405 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain. You might want to bowl before you eat; you could easily be too stuffed to move afterward!