FATTET AL-MAKDUSS
The first time I tasted this fatteh was at Naranj, a large, glitzy restaurant converted from an old house just off Straight Street in Damascus with a delightful roof terrace. The waiters wore elegant modern takes on the traditional ‘abaya (long robe-like garment) and the menu also offered a modern take on regional specialities including this fatteh that is my favorite among all the variations. The bread is traditionally fried in olive oil but I prefer to brush it with olive oil and toast it in the oven. As for the meat element here, it is minced and stuffed inside baby eggplants that are cooked in a lamb broth before being layered in between the bread and the yogurt.
SERVES 4
FOR THE LAMB BROTH
1 pound 1 ounce (500 g) lamb from the shanks, cut into medium-size chunks
1 cinnamon stick
1 large onion (7 ounces/200 g), peeled and quartered
Sea salt
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and finely chopped
FOR THE STUFFED EGGPLANTS
6½ tablespoons (100 g) ghee or unsalted butter
⅓ cup (50 g) pine nuts
10½ ounces (300 g) freshly minced lean lamb, from the shoulder or neck (either ask your butcher to mince the lamb or do it yourself using the fine attachment on a meat grinder)
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Sea salt and finely ground black pepper
2 pounds 2 ounces (1 kg) Japanese eggplants, trimmed and cored
TO FINISH
3 medium pita breads
Extra-virgin olive oil to brush the bread
3 cups (24 ounces/750 g) Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced into a fine paste
A few sprigs mint, leaves only, finely chopped
1. For the lamb broth: Put the meat from the shanks in a large saucepan and cover with water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, skimming any froth that rises to the surface. Add the cinnamon stick, onion, and salt to taste. Reduce the heat to medium low. Cover the pan and let simmer for 30 minutes or until the meat is half done. Add the chopped tomatoes and let simmer for 30 more minutes, or until the meat is done. Keep hot in the pan.
2. To make the stuffed eggplants: Put half the ghee in a frying pan and place over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and sauté, stirring constantly, until the nuts are golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate. Add the minced lamb. Cook, stirring the meat and mashing it with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, until all traces of pink are gone. Add the allspice, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Return the toasted pine nuts to the pan, keeping some for garnish, and mix well. Let the meat and nut mixture cool before using to stuff the eggplants.
3. Cup your hand around a cored eggplant, holding it upright, and scoop a little stuffing with your other hand or using a very small spoon, and push the stuffing inside the eggplant, using either the narrow spoon or your finger to force it down. Shake the eggplant downward halfway through to make sure the stuffing has gone to the bottom of the eggplant. Stuff the remaining eggplants in the same way.
4. Put the remaining butter in a saucepan and place over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the stuffed eggplants and sauté until they turn pale in color. Add 1½ cups (375 ml) of the meat broth to the pan. Turn the heat to medium low and let simmer for about an hour, or until the eggplants are done. Keep them hot while you prepare the rest of the dish.
5. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
6. Tear the pita breads open at the seam, brush with a little olive oil, and toast in the oven until golden brown. Remove onto a wire rack to cool.
7. Mix the yogurt with the tahini, garlic, and mint. Spread out the toasted bread over the bottom of a deep serving dish. Remove the meat from the hot broth and spread over the bread. Then arrange the stuffed eggplants over the bread and meat and cover with the yogurt. Garnish with the reserved toasted pine nuts and serve immediately.