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Karniyarik
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 4 medium short, fat aubergines about 250g each
- 2tbsp olive oil
For the filling
- 3tbsp olive oil plus 1tbsp for baking
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste with ¼tsp salt
- 300g lamb mince
- ½tsp ground cinnamon
- ½tsp allspice
- 450g ripe red tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped
- 1tbsp tomato purée
- 4tbsp golden sultanas
- 4tbsp toasted pine nuts
- 15g flat-leaf parsley, thick stalks removed and discarded and the leaves chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F, leave the stalks on the aubergines and cut each one in half lengthways but not quite all the way through so that it opens like a butterfly. Score the surface into diamonds leaving a 5mm border around the edges. Scatter with sea salt and leave to de-gorge for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Carefully rinse off the salt and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the cut surfaces for a few minutes until golden. Place them in a large, shallow baking tray and cook for 20 minutes until soft enough to scoop out some of the flesh and reserve.
Meanwhile, to make the filling, heat the oil in a heavy-based pan, add the onion and garlic and fry on a low-medium heat for 6 minutes. Add the lamb and stir until completely broken up for about 7 minutes. Mix in the cinnamon, allspice, ½tsp freshly ground black pepper and 1tsp sea salt, followed by the tomatoes with any juice, tomato purée and sultanas.
Simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes, then remove lid and cook for a further 15 minutes on a low heat. Mix in 2tbsp of the pine nuts, the reserved aubergine flesh and parsley. Pile the mixture into the aubergine halves, scatter with the rest of the pine nuts and drizzle with the extra olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered. Serve.
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