serves 2 or 3
When Turkish culinary historian Engin Akin taught me how to make manti—hand-formed lamb dumplings—on a trip to Istanbul, every step was exquisitely and most labor-intensively wrought.
Once cooked, the manti was coated with thick yogurt and plenty of melted brown butter seasoned with ground chile. Ever since, I’ve dreamed of making platters of buttery manti at home, but I needed a way to shorten the process without compromising that savory, near-sacred combination of butter, lamb, garlic, yogurt, and more butter.
I did some online research, and saw that manti-loving bloggers routinely substituted dried pasta for handmade dough, topping it with sautéed ground lamb and yogurt. It seemed like as good a place as any to start.
At home, I tossed eggplant cubes in oil and put them in the oven for a possible side dish. While the pasta boiled, I sautéed the lamb with garlic and shallots, seasoning it with fresh mint.
When I drained the pasta and tossed it with the lamb, I realized I could have used twice as much lamb, but it was too late for that. To compensate, I folded in the roasted eggplant. Then I added thick Greek yogurt spiked with pungent fresh garlic, and, as per my memory of Ms. Akin’s feast, much more of the red pepper–spiced browned butter than I knew was good for me. As with the manti, butter and yogurt melded into a rich sauce, generously gilding the lamb, pasta, and, in this case, eggplant with garlicky abandon. So much for leftovers the next day.
½ teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, plus more as needed
1 large eggplant (about 1 pound), cut into ½-inch cubes
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 fat garlic cloves, minced
1 large shallot, minced
1 pound ground lamb
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, preferably Urfa or Aleppo (see Note), plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1½ tablespoons chopped fresh mint or dill, plus more to taste
½ pound bow-tie or other pasta
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
2. Toss the eggplant with 4 tablespoons of the oil and a large pinch of salt. Spread on a baking sheet, making sure there is room between the pieces, and roast until crisp and brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Check often to prevent burning.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and the shallot and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lamb, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper to taste and sauté until the lamb is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mint or dill and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir the eggplant into the lamb. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
4. Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter. Cook until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, remaining minced garlic clove, and a pinch of salt.
5. Drain the pasta and spread on a serving platter. Top with the lamb-eggplant mixture, then with the yogurt sauce. Pour the melted butter over the top and sprinkle on additional red pepper flakes and mint or dill. Serve immediately.
note: You can buy Urfa (Turkish) or Aleppo (Syrian) pepper flakes at specialty markets or online at www.kalustyans.com. Or substitute a mild ground chile powder. Do not use crushed red pepper flakes; they will be too hot for this dish.