Papoutsakia

A classic Greek dish: lamb, eggplant, tomatoes, onion and garlic topped with a yoghurt and feta sauce and baked in the eggplant skins. Delicious served with a Greek salad, crusty rolls and a bottle of your favourite red wine. Adapted from a recipe on the “Australian Women’s Weekly” website.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  large eggplants (600g each)
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1  onion, finely chopped
• 3  garlic cloves, chopped
• 750  g ground lamb
• 1  tablespoon tomato paste
• 1⁄2 cup red wine
• 2  tomatoes, medium-sized, peeled and chopped
• 6  kalamata olives, finely chopped
• 2  teaspoons dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper

• White sauce

• 500  g  continental yoghurt
• 2  eggs
• 1⁄2 cup  greek feta
• 1  pinch nutmeg
• 1⁄3 cup  grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Trim the stems from the eggplant. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and, taking care not to break the skins, gently scoop out the flesh.
2. Chop the flesh and set aside.
3. Parboil the skins for 3 minutes, arrange in a lightly oiled baking dish and set aside.
4. Heat 1/4 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick pan, add the minced lamb and stir constantly, until all the meat is browned.
5. Remove the meat, draining off any juices, and set aside.
6. Add 3/4 tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan, add onions and garlic, and sauté until soft but not brown.
7. Add the reserved eggplant flesh, tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste and stirring occasionally cook for 4-5 minutes, until contents of the pan have softened.
8. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
9. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute.
10. Add the remaining ingredients. Check seasoning, and simmer for 45 minutes.
11. Combine the yoghurt, eggs, cheese and nutmeg. Season to taste.
12. Preheat oven to 180°C.
13. Gently scoop the meat sauce into the eggplant skins which you placed earlier in a baking dish. (The liquid should have reduced sufficiently while the meat sauce was simmering but, if your sauce looks watery, drain off some of the liquid first. You could spoon it into the baking dish around the eggplant skins, or simply discard it.).
14. Top the meat sauce-filled eggplant skins with your white sauce and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.
15. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
16. Serve with a Greek salad, crusty rolls and the rest of the bottle of red wine.