BAKED KOFTA WITH AUBERGINE & TOMATO

What a fantastic recipe from the cookbook Falastin by Tamimi. It's actually very easy to make and the flavours are amazing. Loved it with the Roasted squash and courgettes with whipped feta and pistachios from the same cookbook and the Spicy carrot salad from Ottolenghi's Jerusalem cookbook. It was a real comfort food feast! And... we ate the leftovers the following day and it was even better. The flavours had time to develop and the meatballs were to die for..... 

Ingredients
2 very large (or 3 large) aubergines, as wide as possible (850g), peeled in alternate long strips (to look like a zebra), then cut widthways into 12 slices, about 2½cm thick
60ml olive oil
3 large beef tomatoes, cut widthways into 12 slices, about 1cm thick (500g)
1 large green chilli, thinly sliced (20g)
Salt and black pepper

TOMATO SAUCE
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped (150g)
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp tomato purée
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
¼ tsp caster sugar
1 tsp dried mint
½ tsp Aleppo chilli flakes (or ¼ tsp regular chilli flakes)

KOFTA
350g beef mince (15–20% fat)
350g lamb mince (15–20% fat)
30g parsley, very finely chopped
1 onion, coarsely grated (120g)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3–4 plum tomatoes, coarsely grated and skins discarded (200g)
1 tsp tomato purée
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground allspice
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
½ tsp Aleppo chilli flakes (or ¼ tsp regular chilli flakes)
1 tbsp olive oil

TO GARNISH
5g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
12 small picked basil leaves, (or larger leaves, shredded)
25g pine nuts, toasted (see page 339)


Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.

Place the aubergine slices in a large bowl. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper and pour over the oil. Mix well to combine, then spread out on a large parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C fan.

While the aubergines are roasting, make the tomato sauce. Put the oil into a medium saucepan and place on a medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and lightly browned. Add the garlic and tomato purée and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir in the tinned tomatoes, sugar, mint, chilli flakes, 60ml of water, ½ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat to medium-low. 

Using the Thermomix 

To make the tomato sauce: 

1. Put the onions and garlic in the bowl and chop 5 seconds / speed 5. 

2. Add the oil and saute 6 min / 120°C / speed 1. 

3. Add the tomato puree and cook 30 sec / 100°C / speed 1.

4 Add the tomatoes, sugar, mint, chilli flakes, 60ml water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a good grind of black pepper.

Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and rich. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.

Using the Thermomix 

Change the measuring cup for the simmering basket and cook for  20 min / 100 C / speed 1.

Put all the ingredients for the kofta into a large bowl, along with 1¾ teaspoons of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix well, then divide the mixture into 12 large balls. Shape into burger-shaped patties – about 7cm wide – and set aside.



Arrange the slices of aubergine in a single layer in the bottom of a large, deep baking dish, about 20 x 30cm. 

Place one patty on top of each slice and place a slice of tomato on top of this, to create a kind of sandwich. 

Spoon a generous tablespoon of the thick tomato sauce on top of each sandwich, spreading it out slightly so that it drizzles down the sides. Sprinkle over the green chilli, cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Then increase the oven temperature to 230°C fan, remove the foil and bake for a final 18 minutes.

Remove from the oven and, using a spatula, lift the kofta out of the liquid (don’t discard the liquid, though), trying to keep the aubergine slices intact. Place on a large platter or individual serving plates, then pour the cooking juices from the pan into a medium sauté pan. 

Bring to the boil on a high heat and cook for 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid has thickened and reduced by half. 

Spoon the sauce over the kofta and sprinkle with the coriander, basil and pine nuts. 

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Here served with the Roasted squash and courgettes with whipped feta and pistachios from the same cookbook and the Spicy carrot salad from Ottolenghi's Jerusalem cookbook. 

Notes from the author

Kofta – meat patties – are something of an obsession throughout the Middle East. Baked, fried, grilled, braised; stuffed into pita and drizzled with tahini, for example, or baked in a tomato sauce and served with rice. We offer two versions: one baked with tomato and the other, a richer version, baked in a tahini sauce (see Kofta with tahini, potato and onion). They are both simple meals to comfort – perfect for a midweek supper served with some bread or rice to mop up the juices – rather than to wow with their elegant looks.

Getting ahead: The tomato sauce (which can be easily doubled or tripled, if you want to freeze a batch) keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days. The meat mix can also be made a day ahead, kept in the fridge and waiting to be cooked. Once baked, these are also lovely (or even better, as is often the case with meatballs) the next day. Either warm them through or just bring back to room temperature.