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1
Fry the onions in about 2 tablespoons oil until soft and golden.
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2
Add the garlic, then add the meat and brown it well.
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3
Add the tomatoes and seasonings: salt, pepper, lemon juice, cinnamon, and allspice.
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4
Cover with water, stir well, and bring to the boil.
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5
Simmer gently, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is very tender, adding water to keep it covered.
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6
Cut the eggplants into 1/2-inch-thick slices and brush them generously with oil.
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7
(You do not need to peel the eggplants, because the peels will soften later, in the stew.)
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8
Cook them under the broiler or in a grill pan, turning them over once until lightly colored.
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9
(See page 290 about treating eggplants.)
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10
Cut them in half and add them to the stew.
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11
Simmer, covered, for 1/2 hour, adding the parsley towards the end.
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12
For a Tunisian version, add 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained, at the same time as the meat.
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13
Add 1/2 teaspoon harissa (page 464) or a good pinch of ground chili pepper.
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14
Other spices can be cinnamon and nutmeg.
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15
For a Moroccan taste, change the spices to 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon powdered saffron.
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16
In Turkey, roasted bell peppers, quartered, are added in with the eggplants.
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17
Favorite cuts of meat for stews and long, slow cooking are: shoulder of lamb, because of the melting tenderness given by the fat content; neck filet; lamb knuckle or shanks on the bone, because the melting connective tissue gives a rich gelatinous quality; and the best end of neck cutlets.
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18
Preferred beef cuts are brisket, chuck, and blade; and for veal they are knuckle, shanks, and breast.
