Ingredients | Serves 5

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 medium eggplants, peel and sliced into cubes 

2 medium onions, diced

1kg diced lamb 

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ tsp oregano

1 heaped tsp paprika

1 tsp allspice

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

680g passata 

3 bay leaves

salt and pepper

Approx. 2 cups hot water

To serve: lemon, parsley, feta 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Season the aubergine with salt. Place a large pot or dutch oven on a medium heat and add a generous amount of olive oil. When hot, add the aubergine (in two batches) letting it sit in the pan and get a little colour before stirring. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a bowl topped with kitchen towel to remove any excess oil. Repeat the same with the second batch. You don’t need to cook the aubergine through, you just want to get a little colour on it. 

3. Add a touch of oil if you need to before adding in the onion. Reduce the heat, add a little salt and cover with the lid. Let the onions sweat slowly until soft and translucent. Pat the lamb dry and season with salt and pepper before adding to the pan with the onion. 

4. Once seared, stir in the garlic followed by the oregano, allspice and paprika. 

5. Add the tomato paste and cook this for a couple of minutes. 

6. Pour in the red wine then add the bay leaves and season. Add the passata and enough hot water to almost cover the beef. Cover and bring to a simmer. 

7. When simmering, remove from the hob and place in the oven for an hour. 

8. After an hour, check the lamb using a fork to see if it is tender. If not return to the oven and reduce the temp to 150C and cook for another hour or so until tender. 

9. When ready, let it sit for 10 minutes before serving with a squeeze of lemon juice, crumbled feta and fresh parsley. This would be great with orzo or crusty bread.