Hünkar Beğendi (Lamb Stew over Smoky Eggplant Purée)

Ingredients

• 700 g lamb shoulder, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 400 g canned tomatoes
• 5 dl beef stock
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 eggplant
• 60 g butter
• 3 tbsp wheat flour
• 5 dl milk
• 100 g Gouda, grated
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• salt to taste

Method

1. 1.

   Brown the lamb — Pat the lamb dry and season it well. Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole over high heat and brown the cubes in two or three batches, 3-4 minutes a batch, until they are deeply coloured on at least two sides. Crowding the pan steams the meat, so give it room. Lift the lamb out.

2. 2.

   Soften the onion and tomato paste — Turn the heat down, add the onion to the same pot and cook for 8 minutes until soft and golden. Stir in the garlic for a minute, then the tomato paste, and fry it for a further 2 minutes until it darkens to brick red and the oil around it runs orange.

3. 3.

   Braise until the lamb gives way — Return the lamb with any juices, add the canned tomatoes and the beef stock, season with salt and the black pepper and bring to a bare simmer. Cover and cook very gently for 1 hour 40 minutes, until the lamb gives way to a spoon and the sauce has reduced to a thick, glossy gravy. Uncover for the last 20 minutes if it is still loose.

4. 4.

   Char the eggplants — Meanwhile, prick the eggplants all over and set them on a tray under the oven's hottest grill setting, close to the element. Char for about 30 minutes, turning every 8 minutes, until the skins are blistered black and the flesh has collapsed. Seal them in a covered bowl for 10 minutes, then peel, and squeeze and drain the flesh hard — the smoke is the point, the water is the enemy. Chop it roughly.

5. 5.

   Make the béchamel — Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk in the flour and cook the roux for 2 minutes without letting it colour. Pour in the milk in three additions, whisking hard between each, until you have a smooth, thick béchamel.

6. 6.

   Beat in the smoky eggplant — Beat the chopped eggplant into the béchamel and cook for 7 minutes over low heat, mashing with a wooden spoon, until the purée is thick enough to hold a ridge. Stir in the grated Gouda and the nutmeg off the heat and season generously — it should taste smoky, milky and faintly sweet.

7. 7.

   Spoon the lamb over the purée — Spread the warm purée over a wide serving dish and make a hollow in the middle with the back of a ladle. Spoon the lamb and its sauce into the well, scatter with parsley and serve straight away, while the purée is still hot enough to melt into the gravy.