Batoursh

Name: Batoursh
Yield: serves 4-6
Ingredients: 3 eggplants, weighing about 1 1/2 pounds; 4 tablespoons vegetable or extra-virgin olive oil; 2 onions, chopped; 1 pound ground lamb or beef; Salt and pepper; 1/4 cup pine nuts; 2 cups plain whole-milk or thick strained yogurt (see page 110), at room temperature; 3 tablespoons tahina (sesame paste) (optional); 2 cloves garlic, crushed

December 9, 2011

This intriguing layered dish with a delicious mix of textures and flavors is a specialty of the city of Hama in Syria.

Recipe information

Yield
serves 4-6

Ingredients

3 eggplants, weighing about 1 1/2 pounds

4 tablespoons vegetable or extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, chopped

1 pound ground lamb or beef

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 cups plain whole-milk or thick strained yogurt (see page 110), at room temperature

3 tablespoons tahina (sesame paste) (optional)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Preparation

Step 1
Cook the eggplants under the broiler or roast them in the oven, then peel, chop, and mash them to a puree (see page 63). Beat in 2 tablespoons of the oil.
Step 2
Fry the onions in the remaining oil in a large skillet until soft. Add the ground meat, salt, and pepper and cook, crushing the meat and turning it over, for about 8 minutes, until it changes color. Add the pine nuts and cook 5 minutes more. Set aside, and reheat just before serving.
Step 3
Beat the yogurt with the tahina, if using, and garlic.
Step 4
To serve, spread a layer of the eggplant puree (warm or at room temperature) at the bottom of a serving dish. Pour the yogurt on top, and cover with the hot ground meat and pine nuts.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.

TagsMiddle Eastern Eggplant Vegetable Onion Root Vegetable Ground Lamb Lamb Meat Yogurt Dairy Main Dinner Gluten Free Quick Saute Cookbooks

Recipe information

Ingredients

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Recipe notes