Lahma bi Betingan
Also called buraniya, this is one dish where I prefer to broil or grill the eggplants instead of frying them, before putting them in the stew. Serve with rice or bulgur or with bread.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Fry the onions in about 2 tablespoons oil until soft and golden. Add the garlic, then add the meat and brown it well. Add the tomatoes and seasonings: salt, pepper, lemon juice, cinnamon, and allspice. Cover with water, stir well, and bring to the boil. Simmer gently, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is very tender, adding water to keep it covered.
Step 2
Cut the eggplants into 1/2-inch-thick slices and brush them generously with oil. (You do not need to peel the eggplants, because the peels will soften later, in the stew.) Cook them under the broiler or in a grill pan, turning them over once until lightly colored. (See page 290 about treating eggplants.) Cut them in half and add them to the stew. Simmer, covered, for 1/2 hour, adding the parsley towards the end.
Variations
Step 3
For a Tunisian version, add 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained, at the same time as the meat. Add 1/2 teaspoon harissa (page 464) or a good pinch of ground chili pepper. Other spices can be cinnamon and nutmeg.
Step 4
For a Moroccan taste, change the spices to 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon powdered saffron.
Step 5
In Turkey, roasted bell peppers, quartered, are added in with the eggplants.
Cuts of Meat for Stews
Step 6
Favorite cuts of meat for stews and long, slow cooking are: shoulder of lamb, because of the melting tenderness given by the fat content; neck filet; lamb knuckle or shanks on the bone, because the melting connective tissue gives a rich gelatinous quality; and the best end of neck cutlets. Preferred beef cuts are brisket, chuck, and blade; and for veal they are knuckle, shanks, and breast.
