Eggplant Mnazaleh

Ingredients

2 large eggplants

Olive oil

Butter

 Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 pound ground lamb

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

2 fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced

 

 

Preparation

1. Use a vegetable peeler to peel away long strips of purple skin from the eggplants, creating stripes. Slice eggplants crosswise into ½-inch thick rounds. Select the 12 widest slices.

2. Rub eggplant slices with a little oil or butter. Season with salt and pepper. Set in a single layer on cookie sheets. Slide into a 400-degree oven and bake until soft, about 15 minutes.

3. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Drop in lamb and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until pink vanishes, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy pot set over medium heat. Tumble in onions, and cook, stirring regularly, until caramel-brown, about 10 minutes. Drop in garlic and stir 1 minute. Season with ¾ teaspoon salt, the cinnamon, coriander and cayenne.

5. Stir in cooked lamb and chopped tomatoes. Simmer until thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir in pine nuts.

6. Scoop about ¼ cup lamb mixture onto each eggplant round. Top each with 1 tomato slice. Drizzle with a little oil. Sprinkle with a little salt. Slide cookie sheets into a 350-degree oven and bake 20 minutes.

Serve warm.

 

Lara Kh.