Karnıyarik (Turkish stuffed aubergine with meat)

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 220 °C.

Step 2

Peel off half the skin of the aubergines lengthways, so you end up with a zebra style pattern. Add plenty of salt and leave for at least 10 minutes.

Step 3

Rinse the salt off the aubergines and dry well. Place in a roasting tin in which the aubergines have plenty of space to expand. Add 75 ml (5 Tbsp) olive oil, making sure the aubergine flesh is able to absorb most of eat. Roast in the middle of the oven until slightly softened, around 25 minutes, turning once after around 15 minutes.

Step 4

Meanwhile, heat a thick bottomed large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the onion in the remaining 30 ml (2 Tbsp) olive oil, stirring regularly, until softened but not coloured, 8-10 minutes.

Step 5

Add the garlic to the onion and fry for another 30 seconds or so, stirring constantly. Turn up the heat and add the minced meat as well as some salt and pepper. Fry the meat while chopping it up well.

Step 6

When the meat has cooked through, add half (1 Tbsp/20 g) of the tomato paste, oregano, pul biber and sugar. Fry for another minute or two, stirring constantly. Add the chopped tomato and 100 ml (just under ½ cup) water. Mix well and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to low/medium and leave to simmer for at least 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add more water as you go along if needed. Take off the heat and mix in the flat-leaf parsley.

Step 7

Mix the remaining tomato paste (1 Tbsp/20 g) with 200 ml (⅘ cup) boiling water as well as some salt and pepper until you have a runny tomato sauce.

Step 8

Cut the aubergines lengthwise as you would a baguette, making sure not to cut completely through and leaving 1-2 cm (½ in) at either end. Gently open the cut, mostly towards the base of the aubergine, giving them a pear-shape. I like using two spoons to do this. You may need to turn every other aubergine by 180 degrees in order for it all to fit in the roasting tin.

Step 9

Fill the aubergines with the meat sauce, topping with the slices of tomato. Add the runny tomato sauce to the roasting tin (this will help steam and cook the aubergines).

Step 10

Bake in the middle of the oven until the aubergines are completely soft, 30-40 minutes or more. Make sure to check up on them regularly, and covering with baking parchment or foil if the top is starting to brown before the aubergines are cooked through.

Step 11

Serve warm with another scattering of flat-leaf parsley, if you like.