Braised Eggplant with Ground Lamb
Braised Eggplant with Ground Lamb Ras El Hanout is one of my favorite spice blends. It's warm and earthy, with cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and turmeric and I especially love it with lamb. In fact, I can't remember the last time I made lamb without it! It used to be difficult to find, but now that McCormick makes a blend it can be found in most grocery stores. Instead of making tzatziki to go with the lamb, I made a simple yogurt sauce and did a quick pickle with some English cucumber and coriander seeds, which add a really nice floral element. While the pickles may seem like an afterthought (and in many ways, thy were), they really completed the meal. Don't skip them!
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt
- 1 Lemon juiced
- ½ English seedless Cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced into half moons
- 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- ¼ cup White Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Seeds
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Garlic Cloves crushed
- 1 Eggplant peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 cups Mini-Heirloom or Grape Tomatoes halved
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 pound Ground Lamb
- 1 Tablespoon Ras El Hanout
- 1 Tablespoon Double-Concentrated Tomato Paste
- ½ cup Water
- 2 ounces Feta crumbled
- ¼ cup loosely packed Fresh Parsley torn
- Fresh Pita Bread for serving
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt and lemon juice. Season with a pinch of salt. Cover and set aside. In a second bowl, combine the cucumbers, vinegars, and coriander seeds. Cover and set aside.
- Heat oven to 400*F. Coat the bottom of a heavy, oven safe pot (like a dutch oven) with oil. Add the eggplant, garlic, and tomatoes. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until tomatoes begin to collapse in on themselves.
- Meanwhile, heat the second tablespoon of oil in a large skillet set over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the lamb and ras el hanout. Cook, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until browned and almost cooked through. Drain off and discard the fat.
- Add the cooked lamb to the pot of vegetables. Stir in the tomato paste and water. Cover and cook 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is very tender and most of the liquid has cooked off. Sprinkle with feta and parsley. Serve with yogurt sauce, pickled cucumbers, and fresh pita.