Lamb & Eggplant Matzo Pie w/ SpicyTomat
Source of Recipe
Gourmet Magazine
Recipe Introduction
A good Passover recipe. Matzo is also spelled matzah or matza (for search engine purposes).
Lamb filling and tomato sauce can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then chilled separately, covered. Bring to room temperature before using.
FYI, the sauce is extremely good. It could be used as a sauce on spaghetti or other pasta on other occasions.
The ground lamb can be omitted, or one can substitute other ground meats.
List of Ingredients
8 TBLSP olive oil plus additional for brushing on matzo
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 lb ground lamb
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons ras-el-hanout (Moroccan spice blend)*
2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried mint, crumbled (I used 1/3 C fresh mint)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 (28- to 32-oz) cans whole tomatoes in juice, chopped (6 cups), reserving juice
2 lb eggplant, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/3-inch slices
6 matzos (about 6 inches square)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon sugarRecipe
Make lamb filling:
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet (2 inches deep) over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute onion, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add lamb and saute, stirring and breaking up lumps, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add two thirds of garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon ras-el-hanout with oregano, mint, pepper, and cinnamon, then saute, stirring, 1 minute.
Stir in 4 cups tomatoes with some of juice (reserving remaining tomatoes and juice for sauce) and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 10 to 12 minutes.
Roast eggplant and assemble pie:
Preheat broiler.
Toss eggplant slices with 4 tablespoons oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Brush a large shallow baking pan (1/2 to 1 inch deep) generously with oil and arrange as many slices as possible in 1 layer. Broil, in batches if necessary, 5 to 7 inches from heat, turning slices over as they brown (about halfway through broiling), until tender, 12 to 15 minutes total.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Soak matzos, 1 or 2 at a time, in a pan of warm water until matzos are slightly softened but still hold their shape, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Let excess water drip off and transfer matzos to paper towels or kitchen towels to drain.
Arrange 2 matzos side by side in a generously oiled 13- by 9- by 2-inch (3-quart) baking dish to nearly cover bottom. Spread 3 cups lamb filling over matzos in pan. Arrange 2 matzos side by side on top, then spread remaining filling over them. Arrange eggplant slices in 1 layer over filling (overlapping slices slightly if necessary), then arrange remaining 2 matzos on top and brush with oil. Bake, covered with foil, 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue to bake until filling is hot, about 10 minutes more.
Make tomato sauce while pie bakes: Puree remaining 2 cups chopped tomatoes with juice in a blender. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a 10- to 12-inch skillet over moderate heat, then cook cayenne, remaining garlic, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon each ras-el-hanout and salt, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add tomato puree and sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 4 to 6 minutes.
*If you cannot find ras-el-hanout in your area, Food.Com suggests mixing the following together to make it (I suggest halving all these proportionally):
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
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