Best served with bread (especially olive bread! mmm!), or rice.
Ingredients
2onions, very finely chopped
3tomatoes, very finely chopped
5largecloves of garlic, minced
6tbspolive oil(3+3)
2 1/2lbsof bone-in lamb shoulder in 2-3 inch chunks
1tspsalt
juice of half a lemon
1 1/2tspcinnamon(plus more to dust the eggplant slices)
1 1/2tspcumin
1/2tspnutmeg
1/2tspchili powder
2largeeggplants(Traditionally salting the eggplant is necessary, but we never do.)
1can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
To Serve:
bread
rice
yogurt(optional)
Instructions
Chop the onions and tomatoes and mince the garlic.
In a dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot, on medium heat, fry the onions in 3 tbsp of olive foil until golden
Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the lamb and fry until well-browned on all sides.
Add the tomatoes and a tad of water, just enough to be able to see the bottom and scrape up the browned bits of frond.
When the bottom of the pan is free from frond, add the salt, lemon juice, cinnamon, cumin, chili and nutmeg and stir
Add water just until the meat is barely covered and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, covered for about 1.5 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 and slice the eggplants into 1/2 inch-thick rounds.
Place the eggplant rounds on a greased cookie sheet and brush them generously with oil. Sprinkle them with salt and cinnamon, and flip, doing the same to the other side. Cook for 8 minutes, flip and cook for another 8 minutes, or until the eggplant is very soft and begins to brown. When done, remove from oven and cover to keep warm and stay soft/moist. Cut into 1 inch chunks before adding to the stew.
Once the meat has been stewing for at least an hour, add the eggplant and cook for 5-10 minutes until it begins to come together. Then add the can of chickpeas and continue cooking until it has thickened and meat is fully cooked. Taste and add salt or spices if necessary.
Serve with bread or rice, and stir in plain yogurt if your kids think it’s spicy.