Iraqi Lamb And Eggplant Stew With Pitas Recipe 425

ISRAELI EGGPLANT PITAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450˚. Toss the eggplants in a large bowl with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Lay the eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast until dark brown, flipping halfway through, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Gently add the eggs and cook, adjusting the heat to maintain a gentle boil, 9 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water. Let stand until cool, about 5 minutes. Peel and slice the eggs.
• Whisk the tahini, 1/3 cup warm water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Add 1 more tablespoon of water, if needed, to loosen.
• Halve the tomatoes lengthwise, remove the seeds, chop and put in a medium bowl. Chop the cucumbers and parsley and add to the tomatoes along with the remaining 1 tablespoon each olive oil and lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper; toss well.
• Warm the pitas directly on the oven rack, about 1 minute. Spread the pitas with the hummus, then drizzle with some of the tahini sauce. Top with the eggplant and eggs; season with salt and pepper. Top with the tomato-cucumber salad, the remaining tahini sauce and the banana peppers.

IRAQI LAMB AND EGGPLANT STEW WITH PITAS

Steps:

• In a bowl, dissolve 2 tsp of salt in 1 quart of water. Add the eggplant, cover with a plate to keep the slices under the water, soak for 30 minute.
• Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven or cast-iron casserole pot, heat 2 Tbl of the oil. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and cook over high heat, turning once until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened about 10 minutes. Add 3 quarts of water, the pomegranate molasses, split peas, dried chiles, baharat and coriander and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes stirring and skimming every so often.
• Drain the eggplant and pat dry. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 1/2 Tbl of the oil. Add 1/3 of the eggplant and cook over med-high heat until browned, 3 minutes per side; transfer to paper towels to drain. Brown the remaining eggplant in the 3 Tbl of oil. Add the eggplant to the lamb and simmer over low heat, stirring until the lamb is tender, 45 minutes.
• Transfer the lamb to a rimmed baking sheet, remove the meat from the bones and cut into 1-inch chunks. Boil the stew over high heat, skimming, until the liquid has reduced to 3 cups, about 40 minutes.
• Return the lamb to the stew and season with salt and pepper. Divid the pita among 4 bowls, ladle the soup on top and serve.

IRAQI LAMB AND EGGPLANT STEW WITH PITAS RECIPE - (4.2/5)

Steps:

• In a bowl, dissolve 2 teaspoons of salt in 1 quart of water. Add the eggplant, cover with a small plate to keep the slices submerged and let soak for 30 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, in a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and cook over high heat, turning once, until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 10 minutes. Add 3 quarts of water, the pomegranate molasses, split peas, dried chiles, baharat and coriander and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, skimming and stirring a few times. 3. Drain the eggplant and pat dry. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 11/2 tablespoons of the oil. Add one third of the eggplant and cook over moderately high heat until browned, 3 minutes per side; transfer to paper towels to drain. Brown the remaining eggplant in the 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the eggplant to the lamb and simmer over low heat, stirring, until the lamb is tender, 45 minutes. 4. Transfer the lamb to a rimmed baking sheet. Remove the meat from the bones and cut into 1-inch pieces. Boil the stew over high heat, skimming, until the liquid has reduced to 3 cups, about 40 minutes. 5. Return the lamb to the stew and season with salt and pepper. Divide the pita among 4 bowls. Ladle the stew on top and serve. Notes Pomegranate molasses is basically reduced pomegranate juice. Baharat is a complex spice blend typically containing cumin, coriander and paprika. Both are available at Middle Eastern groceries.

EGGPLANT AND LAMB STEW

Steps:

• In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat, and brown the lamb on all sides. Mix in the eggplants, tomatoes, onions, green bell peppers, and garlic. Cook and stir until tender and lightly browned.
• In a small bowl, blend the tomato paste and water. Mix into the pot with the lamb. Season lamb with allspice, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat shreds easily with a fork. Add a little water as necessary to keep the ingredients moist.

LIS'AN EL QA'THI - JUDGES' TONGUE (IRAQI STUFFED EGGPLANT)

Steps:

• peel the eggplant, trim off the top and bottom.
• stand eggplant up, and cut LENGTHWISE into 1/8'' thin strips.
• sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cumin.
• heat a very thin layer of oil on a skillet and fry the eggplant slices in batches, turning once to brown on both sides - do NOT overcook (they will cook to perfection at a later stage) - remember to add a fresh (thin) layer of oil for every batch of eggplant fried - let the eggplant slices try on paper towel.
• in a bowl: mix together the ground meats, the medium onion and garlic (both finely minced), spices to taste (don't overkill), and beaten egg.
• form the ground meat mixture into cylinders (sausage like rods) 1'' thick and 2'' long.
• place a portion of the meat stuffing at one enf othe eggplant slice, and WRAP the eggplant around it - place the rolls in a baking dish.
• Slice up one tomato, and layer on top of eggplant/meat rolls.
• In a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of oil and saute 1 large diced onion. When soft, add in 1 tomatoe (chopped), salt, pepper, tumeric/curry powder, and any other spices. Stir around until fragrant.
• Add tomato paste, beef/chicken stock, and lemon juice - this is your sauce - bring to boil, then cover and let simmer/thicken for 15 minutes.
• Once the sauce is thickened to your liking, pour it INTO the baking dish (it should cover all the rolls and reach near the top of the dish - this is good (more gravy/sauce for the rice, and ensures a nice even cooking of the meat).
• cover with lid (or aluminum foil), and BAKE at 450 degrees for 1 hour (or until done; one hour is certainly enough).
• take out and ENJOY an exotic taste that I am sure you will love; be proud of yourself, you made an authentic and wonderful Iraqi dish.

IRAQI EGGPLANT-CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Fry eggplants, potatoes and onion rings in hot oil.
• Mix the ground meat with paprika powder, salt and pepper and form little meat-balls, about 20 pieces.
• Fry the meat-balls in hot oil.
• Layer ingredients in a large baking dish in this order: Eggplants, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, meatballs.
• Mix the water together with tomato paste, chopped parsley, garlic, pepper and about 3 teaspoons salt.
• Pour the liquid over the vegetables and the meatballs.
• Bake in oven at 200°C, for about one hour.
• Cover if necessary.
• Serve with cooked rice or pita bread and some crumbled feta-cheese!