Name: Mediterranean lamb in baked eggplant
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 6-8
Ingredients: 6 Tbsp olive oil; 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced; 600g lamb mince; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp chilli flakes; 1 Tbsp dried mint; 2 handfuls fresh breadcrumbs; 1 egg; 1⁄4 bunch parsley, leaves picked; Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season; 4 eggplants; 100g parmesan, grated; 500ml chicken stock; 3 Tbsp tomato paste; 400g can chopped tomatoes; 40ml extra virgin olive oil; 2 fresh bay leaves; Extra parsley, chopped, to serve; Steamed rice, to serve

Mediterranean lamb in baked eggplant

The secret to the success of this Middle Eastern favourite is in the slow-cooking. It’s worth the wait!

Serves 6-8

Prep

15M

Cook

50M

Total

1H 5M

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Ingredients

6 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely sliced

600g lamb mince

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 Tbsp dried mint

2 handfuls fresh breadcrumbs

1 egg

1⁄4 bunch parsley, leaves picked

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

4 eggplants

100g parmesan, grated

500ml chicken stock

3 Tbsp tomato paste

400g can chopped tomatoes

40ml extra virgin olive oil

2 fresh bay leaves

Extra parsley, chopped, to serve

Steamed rice, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Heat oil in a small heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden. Set aside.

Put lamb, garlic, cinnamon, chilli, mint, breadcrumbs, egg and parsley in a food processor and season well.

Halve eggplant lengthways. Using a melon baller, scoop out about 1⁄2 the flesh to leave a cavity. Set aside.

Season inside each eggplant half, then spoon equal amounts of lamb mixture into each cavity. Top each half with a little cheese. Put eggplant in a baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 170°C.

Combine stock, tomato paste, tomatoes, eggplant balls and oil. Pour mixture around eggplant, but don’t cover entirely. Add bay leaves. Cover dish with a sheet of baking paper, then with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

To serve, sprinkle parsley over eggplant halves and spoon over any sauce. Serve with rice.

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Ingredients

Method

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