Hunkar Begendi (Meats with Roasted Eggplant Puree)
Ingredients:
 | 3 tablespoons olive oil or corn oil |
| 2 medium size onion |
| 2 italian or green bell pepper |
| 600 gr. lamb or beef chunks |
| 3 big ripe tomatos |
| 2 tablespoons tomato paste |
| salt, ground black pepper |
| 2-3 cups water |
For the Puree:
| 1+1/2 kilo (2 pounds) eggplant |
| 3 tablespoon flour |
| 3 tablespoon butter |
| 1+1/4 cup milk |
| 1/2 cup kasser (grated gruyere cheese or one of your favorit that melts easily) |
Directions:
- Saute diced onions with olive oil
- Add diced pepper and continue to saute about 2 minutes
- Then add your meat and saute until meat absorbes all the juices again, about more 5 minutes
- Add peeled and dices or grated tomatos and cook until tomato juice is shiny.
- Add tomato paste and stir about one more minute.
- Add salt and ground black pepper and pour about 1+1/2 cups hot water and cook until meat is tender. (If using lamb meat it will be shorter time)
- For the begendi (eggplant puree) wash eggplants and prick from 3-4 places with a knife of tines of a fork.
- Put them over a gas flame until the skin chars and begins to crack. Turn it time to time with a tongs (If you have an electric stove, pierce the eggplants, place them on a large baking sheet and broil them 4 inches from the heat
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After eggplants are cool to handle, peel and chop them or put it in a food prossesor to make a puree.
- In a medium pot melt butter, add flour and cook until flour mixture gets darker.
- Add milk while continue stirrig, then andd cheese and stir until melted and mixture is like a soft puree. You can add more milk for desired consistency. Add salt.
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To serve put puree to the plate first and meat with some juices on the top. Serve with plain rice pilaf.
