Mafroum

(Stuffed Eggplant in Tomato Sauce)

I’ve loved mafroum ever since I first had it at Guetta, a Libyan joint at the edge of Jaffa not far from where we live. Libyan-inspired food, nicknamed Tripolitani cuisine after the country’s capital, feels a little less spicy than some other North African cuisines, with thicker tomato sauces—perhaps because Libya was once an Italian colony. Mafroum is sometimes made with potatoes, or even cauliflower, but there’s no beating the way the eggplant, slit open to create receptacles for the highly seasoned filling, absorbs the delicious tomato-based sauce. Many recipes call for just cinnamon in the meat, but I like the way baharat, with its notes of allspice, warms up the filling.

Serves 6

Active Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

EGGPLANT FILLING

1 medium onion, grated

1 small sweet potato (6 ounces), peeled and grated

1 slice white bread, torn and sprinkled with 1 tablespoon water

1 pound 80/20 ground beef

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon Baharat (or store-bought)

3 large eggs, beaten

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

EGGPLANT

2 medium globe eggplants (8 to 10 ounces each)

Vegetable oil, for frying the eggplant

¾ cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon paprika

SAUCE

1 large onion, finely minced

3 large garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup tomato paste

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

½ teaspoon Baharat

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups chicken broth or water

1 medium tomato (6 ounces), diced, or 1 cup canned, diced tomatoes in juice

Couscous (see base recipe for Vegetable Stew with Easy Homemade Couscous, or store-bought), for serving

Make the filling: Arrange a clean kitchen towel on a work surface and pile the onion, sweet potato, and soaked bread in the middle of it. Close up the towel and, working over the sink, twist the towel from the sides until you have squeezed out as much liquid as you can from the contents. Open the towel, dump the contents into a large bowl, use your fingers to break up any large bits of bread, and add the beef, parsley, chives, baharat, beaten eggs, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix gently with your hands until everything is incorporated.

Prepare the eggplant: Whisk the eggs and salt in a small bowl. Combine the flour and paprika in a second bowl. Place each eggplant on a cutting board, trim off and discard the ends, and cut twelve ¾-inch rounds from the 2 eggplants, trying to make all the rounds as equal in diameter as possible. Reserve the leftover eggplant for the Sabich Fattoush Salad or P’titim". To make the mafroum pockets, lay each eggplant round flat on the cutting board and slice through the middle, moving the knife through the center slice but stopping short of cutting through it by about ½ inch so the ends on one side are still attached (it should look like an almost split pita). Stuff each sliced eggplant with meat filling; using between ¼ and ⅓ cup filling per eggplant silce, depending on the diameter of the eggplant. Press the top to “seal” it all together—you’ll have filling that is exposed, but don’t worry—it won’t fall out.

Fry the eggplant: Heat ½ inch vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, coat each filled eggplant pocket completely in the flour and then the egg, shaking off the excess between dips. Working in 2 batches, fry the eggplant until each side is golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the eggplant to a tray and drain and discard all but 3 tablespoons of the oil in the pan (or replace with new oil if yours seems burned).

Make the sauce: Add the onions to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened and golden, 8 to 9 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the tomato paste, paprika, baharat, salt, and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant and the tomato paste is slightly caramelized, 2 minutes. Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil, then gently nestle the fried stuffed eggplants in the sauce. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook until the eggplant is tender and has absorbed some of the sauce, 40 minutes. Uncover and cook for 5 more minutes. Serve with couscous.