Step-by-Step Recipe of the Month

Carmel Somers' Lamb and Aubergine Stew

Elizabeth David's 'Spices, Salt and Aromatics in the English Kitchen' was published in 1970, and it's easy to imagine that many of the combinations she described there would have seemed bizarre and alien to British and Irish tastes at the time. One such combination was lamb and aubergine, which now seems as obvious - in fact probably more obvious - than our traditional meat/veg pairings. Many chefs have a version of this dish now, and Carmel Somers is no exception. Here is one she put together for us recently - it's a great one-pot party dish for a warm summer's night. For fact fans, we've also printed Elizabeth David's original recipe. But first, a lesson on how to chop an onion >>>

	1. Slice the top off the onion, and peel it, leaving the root end still attached. This will save your tears and give you something to grip on.
	2. Slice the onion lengthways.
	3. Then slice the onion across, giving you small dice. For this recipe Carmel used about 4 onions.
	4. Heat some olive oil in a large, shallow pan (here about 2 fl oz).
	5. Season some lamb with salt, pepper, cumin and coriander. (Here about 2lbs of lamb, cut from the shoulder, and 1 tablespoon of each spice).
	6. Sauté the meat, one layer at a time over the high heat. As you finish one layer, remove the meat and then sauté the next layer until brown. Elizabeth David writes 'If this operation is neglected the dish will be pallid and sad-looking'.
	7. Remove the meat and add some more olive oil to the pan (enough to coat the onions).
	8. Add the onions, and stir to coat with the oil, and then soften for about 5-10 minutes.
	9. Chop some garlic. (Here six cloves). Add to the onions and cook for a few minutes, then remove the onion/garlic mixture and set aside.
	10. Dice the aubergine. (CARMEL'S TIP: always use a serrated knife to cut aubergines) and slice first lengthways, then across, until you get dice.
	11. Add some more olive oil to the same pan.
	12. Coat the aubergine in cumin and coriander. Place in the pan and sauté.
	13. Put everything - meat, onions, aubergine, back in the pan and stir.
	14. Open some tinned tomatoes (here three tins) and chop the tomatoes roughly before adding to the pot.
	15. Add the tomatoes to the pot and stir.
	16. Add some Harrissa paste (available from Asian stores, as well as from Good Things restaurant takeaway!)
	17. Stir the stew and simmer for approzimately an hour. Serve with rice, and a generous sprinkling of fresh herbs - any combination of mint, basil and coriander is perfect. A dollop of yogurt is also a great addition to the finished dish.

Here is the original Elizabeth David recipe:

Lamb and Aubergine Stew

When there are aubergines on the market, this dish is worth trying. It can be cooked in a frying pan or sauté pan, or any wide and shallow utensil or rather large capacity.
One and a half to 2lb shoulder or middle neck of lamb, 2 small aubergines, 1 large onion, half lb of tomatoes, fresh or dried mint or basil, salt, pepper, a clove of garlic, 4 tablespoons of oil, and 2 heaped teaspoons of cumin seeds or ground cumin if you prefer.
Have the lamb boned and cut into inch cubes.
Slice the unpeeled aubergines into quarters and then into half-inch cubes, put them in a colander, sprinkle them with a tablespoon of salt, put a plate and a weight on the top and leave them for at least an hour so that the excess moisture drains out. Before cooking them press them as dry as you can.
Heat the oil in a heavy 10 to 12 inch frying or sauté pan and put in the thinly sliced onion. When it has just begun to take colour put in the meat, plentifully sprinkled with the herbs, salt and pepper. Turn the meat cubes over and over until they are nicely browned. (If this operation is neglected the dish will be pallid and sad-looking.) Remove the meat and onions to a dish with a draining spoon and into the same oil put the aubergine cubes. Cover the pan and let them cook gently for 10 minutes, giving a stir from time to time.
Now return the meat and onions to the pan, add the skinned and roughly chopped tomatoes, the crushed garlic and the heated and pounded cumin seeds. Cover the pan again, let it simmer very gently for 1 hour. Or if it is more convenient cook it only for 45 minutes and then heat it up very slowly for half an hour next day. Strew with more mint or basil before serving. Plain boiled rice or pilau rice goes with dish.
Ample for four.
In countries where aubergines flourish and are cheap, and where meat is scarce and expensive, a dish such as this one would be made with more aubergines and less meat, and the rice would be the really filling element of the meal.
Should you have a little mutton or lamb stock available - about half a pint - omit the tomatoes and use the stock instead, adding it at the same stage of the cooking. This system makes a dish which has more distinction than the tomato-enriched version.

See the review of Good Things Café in this edition of Megabytes.