Moroccan Beef Eggplant – perfectly grilled eggplant slices are topped with a warmly spiced beef mixture, fresh herbs & honey then drizzled with a creamy yogurt sauce.
I first shared a version of this recipes on my old The Fresh Aussie website a few years back. It was so popular I decided to share it on Fresh Hunger this time using beef (the original recipe used lamb, but you use what ever ground meat take your fancy). Moroccan Beef Eggplant a nice blend of straight forward, exotic & low carb. I say “exotic” simply because of the warm spices, common in Moroccan cooking, not because you have to traipse all over hell’s half acre to locate the ingredients. Although the recipe does specify “harissa”, a North African chili paste. I bought it from a supermarket. You can buy it on Amazon too. It comes in a tube or a jar. Both are good so take your pick. Use it in this recipe & One Pan Harissa Chicken with Peppers & Mint which is completely brilliant & so easy.
As I do in many of my recipes I have a fairly generous amount of fresh herbs – mint & cilantro. You already know adding fresh herbs to most savory recipes will elevate & add a vibrant freshness & if you’re not using fresh herbs in your cooking why not? And now with spring here I can finally grow herbs outside again instead of coaxing herbs to grow inside during the winter. Or having to buy herbs from the store.
It’s Memorial Day weekend here in the US & everyone is excited at the prospect of a long weekend. We’ve been invited to a few different things but with us being deep into the throes of kitchen renovations that’ll be our big plans for the weekend. I don’t mind at all as I’m so thrilled about the prospect of a bright new kitchen instead of the dark cave we currently have. I also look forward to sharing the before & after pics with everyone. Pics of the living & dining rooms are coming soon. This recipe was cooked in a kitchen deep into remodeling which shows it really is fuss-free.
Have a great weekend. Chat with you soon,
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for eggplant
- 1 lb (453g) lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- generous pinch of salt & freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons harissa (North African chili paste)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
- 24 oz (680g) eggplant (aubergine), cut into 3/8-inch (1cm) slices
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or tahini)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts or chopped, shelled pistachios
- mint & cilantro leaves & lemon wedges, for serving
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook beef 7 to 10 minutes or until browned. Add onion, garlic, salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Stir in harissa, ginger, cinnamon & cumin. Cook, stirring for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add broth & honey. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until this mixture is thickened.
- Combine mint & cilantro in a small bowl & add half to the beef mixture; stir.
- Add yogurt, juice & salt to remaining herbs; stir to combine. Chill until ready to use.
- While the beef is cooking, brush eggplant slices with a little oil. Cook on hot grill pan or on hot, greased barbecue grill, 2 to 3 minutes each side or until grill marks appear.
- To assemble, arrange eggplant slices on a platter or individual serving plates, top with beef mixture, dollop with yogurt mixture & sprinkle with pine nuts & extra herb leaves. Serve with lemon wedges if desired. Serves 3 to 4.
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