Aubergine with minced ragout
You like aubergine? Very good – me too 😉
And if you’re also into bolognese, here’s your new favourite dish.
I admit: If I were presented with a plate of spaghetti bolognese and aubergine with minced ragout, I would have great difficulty deciding. I simply love both dishes. The logical consequence? I would eat both and then fall into a food coma on the couch.
But now back to the aubergine. Even if it has become a bit disreputable in messengers thanks to its questionable use as an emoji, it is still one of my favourite vegetables. Or is it a fruit? 🤔 It doesn’t matter! Whether deep-fried, baked, on pizza or turned into creamy baba ghanoush – aubergines just always go for me.
I always have this dish when I’m really in the mood for soul food. The delicious, fluffy butter rice serves as a bed for the fried aubergine slices. And on top: a really fine minced ragout with cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and harissa. The ragout gets its final touch from the freshly roasted pine nuts.
Normally, a good ragout is left to simmer for a long time. You can do that with this version too – then the flavours are more intense. But if you don’t have time, do what I do. I always prepare the ragout first and let it simmer until I’m done with the other components. Then I serve it. It will definitely taste good.
You can also prepare this dish in the evening and take it to work the next day. Believe me: your colleagues will be very jealous.
Recipe for aubergines with minced ragout
Ingredients
- 2 Eggplants
- 250 g Ground beef
- 20 g Pine nuts
- 1/2 TSP Cinnamon
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1/2 TL Cardamom ground
- 1/2 TSP Allspice ground
- 2 TSP Tomato paste
- 400 g Tomato pulp (alternatively you can also use chopped tomatoes. But pay attention to quality).
- 50 ml Water
- 1/2 TL Harissa
- 2 TSP Lemon juice
- Sunflower oil
- Salt, pepper
Zubereitung
Prepare the minced ragout
- Peel and chop the garlic.
- Toast the pine nuts in a small frying pan for approx. 2 minutes over a high heat (always swirl the pan, otherwise they will burn).
- Then put the pine nuts on a small plate. Please do not leave them in the hot pan.
- Heat approx. 2 tbsp. oil in a saucepan and fry the mince over a high heat.
- Mix in the cinnamon, allspice, cardamom and toasted pine nuts.
- Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute.
- Add the tomato purée and fry for about 1 minute.
- Set the cooker to medium heat.
- Deglaze the mince with tomato pulp and water and mix well.
- Stir in the harissa and lemon juice and simmer for about 30 minutes on medium heat with the lid closed.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Prepare rice
- Prepare the rice according to the recipe. You can find the recipe here: Butter rice
Prepare aubergines
- Cut off the stalk of the aubergines.
- Cut the aubergine lengthwise into slices about the thickness of a thumb and rub the cut surfaces with a little salt. Set aside for about 5 minutes and then dab off the water with a cloth.
- Heat the oil in a pan and deep-fry the aubergine slices in it for approx. 3 minutes per side.
- Lay out the fried aubergines on a plate with kitchen paper.
Serve
- First you distribute rice on the plates.
- Then put some of the ragout on top of the rice.
- Then place two slices of fried aubergine on top.
- Now spread the minced ragout over the aubergines.
