Recipe and Photo by Nadia Tamby

This is a spin on a couple of my favorite roasted eggplant dishes. One you may recognize from the iconic cover of Ottolenghi’s cookbook, Plenty, and the other from Bon Appetit’s website. This is a perfect weeknight dinner to serve with a side salad. The Middle Eastern flavors in this dish are delicious and balanced. You can find pomegranate molasses in specialty stores or in the international aisle of most well-stocked grocery stores. Here in Austin, I buy mine at Phoenicia.



Ingredients:

• 4 large eggplants, cut in half (keep stem on to help eggplant retain its shape)
• Enough olive oil, salt and pepper to coat and season the eggplant (At least ¼ cup olive oil)
• ½ lb ground lamb
• ½ lb ground beef
• 2 jalapenos, chopped (seeded, if you prefer)
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground coriander

Garlic Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons barberries (you can also find these in a Middle Eastern specialty store) or fresh pomegranate kernels
• Cilantro and mint leaves, chopped for garnish (parsley works well here too)
• Drizzle of pomegranate molasses

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 425F.

Prepare the eggplant by scoring the cut side (don’t cut through all the way to the skin) in a crosshatch pattern with a paring knife. Rub the salt, olive oil and pepper into the cut side. Roast eggplant cut side up until browned and soft, approximately 35 minutes.

In the meantime, cook the lamb and beef until browned, then add the garlic, jalapenos, onion and spices. Sautee until the onion is cooked and the meat is browned and there are crispy bits. Salt as needed.

Mix all the yogurt ingredients together and smear it on a platter. Top with eggplants and fill each eggplant with the meat filling. Sprinkle on pomegranate/barberries, pine nuts, and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses. Top with herbs before serving.