Stuffed aubergine with lamb and pine nuts
Ottolenghi’s roasted aubergines are topped with aromatic spiced lamb for a comforting Middle Eastern-inspired supper.
Ingredients
For the stuffed aubergine with lamb and pine nuts
- 4 medium aubergines (about 1.2kg/2lb 7oz), halved lengthways
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1½ tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 medium onions (340g/12oz in total), finely chopped
- 500g/1lb 2oz lamb mince
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú pine nuts
- 20g/¾oz flatleaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tsp tomato purée
- 3 tsp caster sugar
- 150ml/¼ pint cold water
- 1½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- salt and black pepper
- 1 loaf sourdough, to serve (optional)
For the tahini dressing
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
Place the aubergine halves, skin-side down, in a roasting tin large enough to accommodate them snugly. Brush the flesh with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until golden-brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
While the aubergines are cooking, you can start making the stuffing. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan.
Mix together the cumin, paprika and ground cinnamon and add half of this spice mix to the pan, along with the onion. Cook on medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often, then add the lamb, pine nuts, parsley, tomato purée, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Continue to cook and stir for another 8 minutes, until the meat is cooked.
Place the remaining spice mix in a bowl and add 150ml/¼ pint water, lemon juice, tamarind paste, remaining sugar, cinnamon sticks.
Reduce the oven temperature to 195C/175C Fan/Gas 5½.
Pour the spice mix into the bottom of the aubergine roasting tin.
Spoon the lamb mixture on top of each aubergine. Cover the tin tightly with kitchen foil, return to the oven and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, by which point the aubergines should be completely soft and the sauce thick. Twice through the cooking, remove the kitchen foil and baste the aubergines with the sauce, adding some water if the sauce dries out.
Meanwhile, to make the tahini dressing mix together all the ingredients in a bowl, along with 2 tablespoons of water, half teaspoon salt and a crack black pepper.
Drizzle the tahini over the warm (not hot or room temperature) aubergine. Sprinkle coriander to finish. Serve with sourdough.