Roasted Eggplant and Cumin Spiced Mince

I found this Margaret Fulton recipe that includes roasted eggplant, so it has a different flavour to most mince recipes.  It can be quite flexible  - depending on what  vegetables are in your fridge and what type of mince you select to cook. I have made a few alterations to the original.

You could serve this on a large platter as a one-dish meal because the vegetables are cooked with the mince and the salad is incorporated into the presentation of the dish. 

Because it does not need to be served piping hot, it could be a good option for a summer dinner as an alternative to a salad dish.

Serves 5 -6 people depending on how hungry they are

Preparation time  -  20 minutes including charring the eggplants        

Cooking              -  20 minutes

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants    or    8-10 finger eggplants (Note – See below  -  must be charred prior)

              or  -   if you are really pressed for time - Delis sell charred eggplants in bottles

2 onions – finely chopped

Small amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

500g lean mince.  Either beef or lamb would work well with these flavours

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch of ground chillies (this amount is mild/moderate)  Adjust to your preference.

1 x 400g tin of crushed tomatoes

1 x 400g tin of chick peas or lentils   -  very well rinsed and drained

¼ head of cauliflower – chopped into small florets

Good handful of green beans - sliced

2 tablespoons Tahini paste

½ to 1 cup of Low fat Greek yoghurt   (1 tablespoon of this is used with eggplant)    (Refer below) 

1 clove garlic – crushed

¼ - 1/3 cup pine nuts – toasted  (NB - need to be toasted prior to sprinkling on completed dish)

Small amount of parsley – very finely sliced

Small amount of mint – very finely sliced

Salt and pepper – taste at the end and adjust to your taste preference  (I did not need to use salt)

Lettuce leaves

Cucumber - sliced

sliced fresh tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes.

Serving Options:   shake of paprika, 

                            fresh mint leaves, 

                            few fresh pomegranate seeds, 

                            lemon wedges

Method

Eggplants

Heat chargrill to high.  Place eggplants whole on the grill and turn regularly for about 10-15 minutes.  (Caution -can be smoky).  Skin will go crisp and brown, inside will be tender when pierced with a knife.   Allow to cool slightly so you can touch them.  Halve lengthways and scoop soft flesh into a bowl. Slice eggplant skin finely – keep separate – sliced eggplant skin will be added prior to final serving.

Mash eggplant flesh with a drizzle of olive oil, 1 tablespoon each of tahini and the yoghurt.  Reserve.

Mince

In a large frypan – gently fry onions til soft.

Increase heat and add mince. Cook, breaking up any lumps. Stir well.

Add cumin, chilli and garlic. Mix through.

Stir in the vegetables, tinned tomatoes and lentils and cook until cauliflower is tender. 

Adjust seasonings if necessary.  Stir in the chopped parsley.

Yoghurt dressing

In a small side dish serving bowl, mix ½ cup yoghurt, 1 tablespoon tahini and some chopped mint.

If you want a larger amount of yoghurt dressing – use the full 1 cup.  I find ½ cup is quite enough.

Serving the yoghurt dressing separately allows everyone to moderate their fat intake.

Assembly

Spread the lettuce leaves on the base of a serving platter – this meal is good for sharing at table

-        Or   -  serve on individual plates if preferred

Dollop the eggplant flesh mixture over most of the lettuce.  (Allow space around edge for adding the cucumber and tomatoes later)

Pour the mince/tomato mix over these layers.

Sprinkle with the finely sliced eggplant skin.

Spoon over some of the yoghurt dressing.    I serve the remainder in a side bowl.

Scatter over the pine-nuts, mint and paprika.

Place the slices of cucumber and tomato around the edge of the platter.

Finally, it looks and tastes wonderful with a final sprinkling of pomegranate seeds - (which I put on after the photo!)

Serve lemon wedges in a side bowl.

Enjoy!     Colleen