Eggplant- lentil stew with pomegranate molasses
Ah... Paula Wolfert. Or should we say... ah, Musa Dağdeviren. If you don’t know, Wolfert is a legendary American food writer who came to prominence thanks to her extensive knowledge of Moroccan food. Her seminal book, The Food of Morocco, reworked a decade or so ago, is essential for any keen cook; I’m sure Felicity at Cook the Books in Auckland can organise a copy for you. Musa is a legendary Turkish chef/food anthropologist, celebrated for extracting obscure regional dishes from village cooks and Turkish grannies and recreating them at his amazing clutch of restaurants – notably Çiya Sofrasi – in İstanbul’s Kadıköy district. It’s some of the best food in the city. He also wrote the imposing Phaidon tome The Turkish Cookbook (again, #Felicity). Which is rambling context for this adaption of Wolfert’s adaption of Musa’s adaption of a Turkish classic called Mualle from the Hatay region. We add more tomato, use extra dried mint and invariably make far too much (the neighbours are always happy). It’s delicious.
SERVES 8 (as a side dish or mezze, you can easily halve this)
2 large eggplants (about 950g), trimmed
salt
110g (½ cup) brown lentils
5 roma tomatoes (about 650g), finely chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
2½ tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp dried mint
160ml (⅔ cup) extra virgin olive oil
60ml ( ¼ cup) pomegranate molasses
fresh mint leaves, to garnish
Using a potato peeler, peel lengthwise strips off the eggplants at regular intervals, so you have peeled-unpeeled stripes down each. Cut the eggplant into 3 lengthwise slices then, using the tip of a sharp knife, score each side of the slices in a deep cross-cross pattern, taking care not to cut all the way through. Cut the slices on a slight diagonal into widthwise strips about 3cm wide. Layer the strips in a large colander, scattering each layer with salt as you go. Stand the eggplant for about 1 hour or until the salt has dissolved and the eggplants give up some of their liquid.
While the eggplants drain, place the lentils in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, then bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, then cook for 20 minutes or until the lentils are nearly tender. Drain well.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 175˚C and line a large tray with several layers of kitchen paper. Rinse the eggplant well to remove any saltiness, drain, then place on the lined tray in a single layer to dry, using extra paper to pat the tops dry.
Combine the tomato, onion, garlic, tomato paste, dried mint and 1½ tsp freshly ground black pepper in a bowl. Scatter a thin layer of the mixture over the base of a large casserole or Dutch oven. Place about a third of the eggplant over the top in a single layer, then scatter over a third of the lentils and a third of the remaining tomato mixture. Continue layering until all the ingredients are used; it doesn't really matter what ends up on top. Drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate molasses, cover the casserole with a tight-fitting lid, then bake for 1¼ hours, or until the eggplant is very tender.
Cool to room temperature before serving. You can make this the day before; the flavours develop overnight in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving though; the flavours are better.
