Martha Len Nelson

At 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 15, at the Blagg-Huey Library, Friends of the Texas Woman’s University Libraries will present award-winning cookbook and travel authors Cheryl and Bill Jamison with a “lecture, lively discussion and food samples.”

Their latest cookbook, just off the press, Around the World in 80 Dinners, takes you from Bali to Brazil, with six stops in between.

Reading it made me feel like I had visited those locations because there were tips on lodging as well as dining and other travel information.

A few years ago, when they were compiling American Home Cooking, the Jamisons spent several weeks in Denton perusing TWU’s nationally recognized cookbook collection of more than 10,000 volumes.

This is a big book of 470 pages that features favorite recipes from all sections of this great country, with its distinctive ethnic differences.

For every recipe, the Jamisons tell where it came from and something about its background.

I chose a recipe today featuring eggplant because it sounds like a memorable dish I had long ago at Antoine’s in New Orleans.

The Jamisons tell us that eggplant first came to America from Africa.

The recipe is from American Home Cooking, page 126.

Tickets for the event are $40 and are available by calling 940-898-3748 or by visiting www.twu. edu/library .

Reservation deadline is Monday, April 7.

Seafood Stuffed Eggplant

 2 vertically halved, unpeeled medium eggplants

 1/2 stick unsalted butter

 3 finely chopped celery stalks

 1 finely chopped medium onion

 2 tablespoon freshly grated Parme­san cheese, plus additional cheese for dusting eggplant tops

 3/4 teaspoon salt

 1/2 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper

 1/2 cup lump crabmeat

 8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled, deveined if you wish, and halved vertically

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil the eggplant halves and a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer.

Arrange the eggplant halves, cut-side down, in the baking dish; bake for 35 to 40 minutes — until very soft.

While the eggplants bake, warm the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in celery and onion. Saute until chopped onion is soft and translucent — about 5 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Scoop the eggplant pulp out of the skins, reserving the skin as shells, and puree the eggplant pulp in a food processor. Mix the eggplant puree with the other ingredients in the bowl, combining it well. Stir in the crabmeat and shrimp gently, then spoon the mixture into the eggplant shells. Dust the tops with additional Parmesan cheese and bake until the tops have lightly browned — about 25 minutes.

Serve hot and offer peach ice cream for dessert.

Serves four people in the shells, or you can discard the shells and simply spoon the mixture into a large oiled baking dish for cooking.

MARTHA LEN NELSON was co-owner of M&M Catering in Denton until she retired in 1996. She still caters an occasional benefit luncheon. Contact Mrs. Nelson by calling 940-382-9597 or by e-mailing mlnelson29@verizon.net  .