Franz’s Yemeni Lamb & Eggplant

Name: Franz’s Yemeni Lamb & Eggplant
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 57 min
Total time: 1 h 27 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Yemeni
Ingredients: 2 large eggplants; Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling; 500 g fatty lamb mince; 3 teaspoons Yemeni 7-Spice; 1½ tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon rind; Salt flakes, to taste; Rock salt, for baking; Flatbread, for serving; 2 large eggplants (for Eggplant Dip); ¼ cup tahini (60 ml); 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 3 teaspoons cumin seeds; Salt flakes, to taste; Freshly ground white pepper, to taste; 1½ tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley; 2 green onions, finely chopped

This Yemeni lamb recipe is a dish Franz learned to cook in Yemen in the mid ’60s from a fellow street cook. She was reluctant to share her recipe at first but her husband, Abu Meher, talked her into it and invited Franz into their home to watch his wife prepare it. She made it with fatty hogget (sheep that’s about 1 year old, older than lamb and younger than mutton), which she hand-chopped using two cleavers. So if you can get meat from the shoulder, breast, neck or shanks of an older animal (even mutton) and hand chop it this gives the best texture. Don’t underestimate the amount of salt the mince needs, Franz uses about a tablespoon or more of salt flakes for this quantity. You can prepare everything well in advance and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake it, just remove everything from the fridge 45–60 minutes before cooking so it comes to room temperature. This recipe can easily be doubled or halved to serve more or less people, and leftovers reheat well too. If you like, you could skip the charred eggplant and just mix the flesh from the baked one with the tahini, lemon juice and cumin, though Franz says you’ll be sorry if you miss the smokiness of the eggplant cooked over the open flame. You’ll likely have some Eggplant Dip leftover, it keeps refrigerate for up to a week and makes delicious canapés spread on croûtons and a great snack with pita crisps (see video below). I love a glass of Traviarti nebbiolo (especially lightly chilled) with Franz’s yemeni lamb recipe. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 large eggplants
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
500g fatty lamb mince (1lb 1½oz)
3 teaspoons Yemeni 7-Spice (hawaij)
1½ tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon rind
Salt flakes, to taste
Rock salt, for baking
Flatbread, for serving

Eggplant Dip

2 large eggplants
Flesh from roasted eggplants above
¼ cup tahini (60ml)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (20ml)
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
Salt flakes and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
1½ tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley,
2 green onions, finely chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
Meanwhile, start Eggplant Dip: Cook 2 eggplants over an open flame on the stovetop or barbecue for about 10¬–12 minutes, turning often, until charred and soft. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then scoop out the flesh, discarding the skin, place in a mixing bowl and mash well using a potato masher or fork. Set aside.
Cut remaining eggplants in half, rub all over generously with oil, place in a baking dish and bake for about 25 minutes, until the cut side is well browned.
Turn them over and bake for a further 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, but don’t turn it off unless you’re preparing the eggplants in advance.
Set eggplants aside until cool enough to handle then hollow out the flesh, reserving it and the eggplant skins.
Mash the baked eggplant flesh into the flesh for the Eggplant Dip and set aside.
Place lamb mince, 7-Spice, preserved lemon and plenty of crushed salt flakes into a mixing bowl and knead to combine well. Divide into 4 portions.
Line the baking dish with rock salt.
Mould an eggplant skin around each portion of lamb mixture to reshape it like an eggplant half and place it in the baking dish.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, until mince is just cooked through (less is better, so check after 12).
Meanwhile finish Eggplant Dip: Add tahini, lemon juice, cumin, a good grind of pepper and about 2 teaspoons of salt flakes crushed to the combined eggplant flesh and mix well.
Place Eggplant Dip in a serving dish, drizzle with oil and top with parsley and green onion.
Serve Yemeni lamb-filled eggplant shells with Eggplant Dip and flatbread.