500glamb, leg or shoulder, cut into 1 cm (⅖ in) cubes
2Tbspolive oil, I use a mild extra virgin
2Tbspghee or butter
100gcherry tomatoes
1tsppul biber (Aleppo pepper)
5gflat leaf parsley, finely chopped, to garnish
salt and pepper
Smoked aubergine purée
350gGreek yoghurt, or 225 g (8 oz) Turkish süzme yoğurt
3largeaubergine (eggplant)
2smallgarlic cloves, or to taste
a fewdropslemon juice, optional
salt and pepper
How I make it
Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Place a sieve over a bowl and cover with a clean kitchen cloth or cheese cloth. Add the yoghurt and leave to strain until it's thickened a little, but still not as thick as cream cheese. Half an hour is usually enough. You want to be left with approx 225-250 g (8-9 oz) yoghurt. If using Turkish süzme yoğurt, which is already strained, you may skip this step.
Pierce the aubergines (eggplants) with a fork. Using a gas burner, burn them directly on the flame until they're completely burnt on the outside and very soft on the inside. Turn them over every once in a while. This usually takes 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool down slightly. See notes below for alternative methods, but whatever your method, make sure to constantly watch the process and to air the area well. No smokey flavour without a bit of smoke!
Once the aubergines (eggplants) are cool enough to work with, peel the skin off and discard. Chop the flesh roughly.
Using a pestle and mortar or the flat side of a knife against the chopping board, crush the garlic to a paste with a little salt.
Mix the chopped aubergine (eggplant) flesh with the garlic and yoghurt. Season to taste with salt and pepper (it probably needs more than you think!). If the yoghurt you're using is very creamy and not at all tangy, add a few drops of lemon juice to taste. Once it tastes great, set aside.
Heat a large thick bottomed frying pan over medium/high heat. Brown the meat in batches.
Turn the heat down to medium. Add the browned meat, butter, tomatoes and pul biber (Aleppo pepper). Cook until the meat and tomatoes are as you like them. I prefer to keep mine going for 4-5 minutes, until the meat is completely cooked through and the tomatoes are just starting to fall apart. Take off the heat.
Spread the smoked aubergine purée on a serving plate. Top with the lamb mixture (don't leave the fats in the pan!) and a little chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Tips & notes
Yoghurt: The traditional yoghurt to use is Turkish süzme yoğurt. This is plain yoghurt that has been strained until it's nearly as thick as cream cheese. You may find it in Turkish grocery stores, or you can just use regular greek yoghurt and strain it until it reaches a similar consistency, as per the method above.Alternative cooking methods for aubergines (eggplants): There's no beating direct flame to get that smokey flavour of aubergines, however not everyone has access to a gas flame. In that case your options are:
Burn the aubergines in the hot coals of a barbecue. This should yield similar results as burning the them on the flame.
Heat a thick bottomed frying pan over high heat. Place the aubergines in the pan and weigh them down with something heavy enough to maximise surface contact for the aubergines, without squashing them too much as they cook (for example, a lid topped with a light weight of some sort). Turn regularly until completely burned.
Burn the aubergines under the grill/broiler setting of your oven. This is unlikely to lead to a very smokey result, so the dish will taste different (but still be tasty!).
Roast the aubergines in your oven set at the highest possible heat. This will not yield a smokey result, so the dish will taste different (but still be tasty!).
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