Eggplant is one of my all time favourite vegetables ever. It’s smoky, creamy, and goes really well with minced beef or lamb. When combined with aromatics of thyme or za’atar, which is a wild oregano commonly found and used throughout the middle-east, it’s out of this world!
The thing about eggplant is that it has quite a high water content, and tends to absorb quite a bit of liquid. If you’ve ever tried to just lightly pan-fry eggplant, don’t be surprised if you feel like you’ve used up half a bottle of your vegetable oil. These guys soak up oil like a sponge! To help reduce this scenario, I usually do two things:
- I first salt the sliced eggplant pieces to help draw out the moisture and bitterness from the seeds, then squeeze the excess juice away.
- Instead of frying, I always opt for roasting it. Not only does it create a delicious charred flavour, but you really only need to drizzle it a bit with oil and let the roasting do it’s magic.
This dish is finished with juicy and sweet bits of pomegranate, salty feta cheese, crunchy pine nuts, and a spicy bite from arugula… It makes a wonderful side dish or appetiser, and looks gorgeous on a long platter.
Check out the video of my hands in action making this dish for Al Islami Foods.
Roasted Eggplant Boats with 7-spice Ground Beef, Pomegranate & Feta Cheese
This recipe was developed for Al Islami Foods.
- Prep Time: 30m
- Cook Time: 1h
- Total Time: 1h 30m
- Category: Lunch & Dinner, Salads & Sides
Ingredients
Al Islami Ground Beef
- 1 pack (400g), Al Islami Ground Beef
- 1 piece, medium red onion
- 2 cloves, garlic
- 2 TBS, olive oil
- 1 tsp, seven spice mix
- 1 tsp, turmeric
- 1 tsp, sumac
- 1 tsp, dried thyme
- 1 TBS, pomegranate molasses
- 1 tsp, salt and pepper
Eggplant
- 5 – 6 pieces medium (1kg), eggplants
- 1/4 cup, olive oil
- 1 TBS, salt sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 piece, pomegranate seeded
- 3 TBS, feta cheese
- 3 TBS, toasted pine nuts
- 2 – 3 TBS, pomegranate molasses
- 1 cup, Greek yoghurt
Instructions
Al Islami Ground Beef
- Heat up a large non – stick pan, add the olive oil and defrosted Al Islami Ground Beef, brown the meat for 5 – 7 minutes over medium heat.
- Add finely chopped onions and garlic, seven spice mix, turmeric, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 – 8 minutes (until onion has softened and meat is fully cooked).
- Stir in sumac, dried thyme and pomegranate molasses, and cook for a further minute
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
Eggplant
- Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise, keep the top stems intact. With the tip of a knife, score the flesh in a diamond cross – hatch pattern halfway deep.
- Press open the cuts and sprinkle the eggplant halves with the salt. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Gently squeeze the eggplant to remove the salty water, patting them dry with a paper towel. Brush the eggplant, top and bottom with olive oil and top each with fresh sprigs of thyme.
- Place the eggplants on the baking tray and roast for 45 minutes, or until they have softened and cooked through.
Serve the eggplants onto a platter, top each one with a ground beef mixture, fresh pomegranate seeds, crumbled feta cheese and toasted pine nuts. Drizzle with pomegranate molasses. Garnish with rocket leaves and serve with a side of Greek yoghurt.
Note: Earlier this year in April, I had the opportunity to work with Al Islami Foods; one of UAE’s pioneering food production companies that specialises in halal chicken and frozen foods since the 80’s. The project involved developing recipes using their food products in time for the holy month of Ramadan.
This delicious dish was made using Al-Islami’s ground beef. However, for anyone without access to this particular brand (living abroad), you may still use alternative ground beef or lamb from your local grocer or butcher.
For more info on this project collaboration, check out the relevant posts related to the Al Islami Recipe Development & Food Styling and the amazing Kitchen on Ice event!
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