Harissa lamb-and-brinjal bake

“Lamb mince, spiked with harissa and layered with brinjal, is served with thick yoghurt streaked with more harissa.”

Serves 4 to 6

EASY

Preparation: 30 minutes Cooking: 1½ hours

brinjals 4 (about 1 kg) olive oil 1/3 cup sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste red onion 1, finely chopped garlic 2 cloves, grated

Woolworths free-range lamb mince 500 g peeled and diced tomatoes

1 x 400 g can smoked paprika 1t harissa paste 2–3 T lamb or beef stock 1 cup fresh mint, for sprinkling couscous, for serving

For the harissa yoghurt: thick plain yoghurt 1 cup harissa paste 2–3 t

1 Preheat the oven to 190°C. Thinly slice the brinjals lengthways. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheets lined with baking paper and brush with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, or until tender. Season lightly. 2 Meanwhile, gently cook the onion in 2 T oil. Add the garlic, then increase the heat and stir in the mince. Keep stirring to break up the mince until the meat changes colour. 3 Stir in the tomatoes, then add the paprika and harissa. Pour in the stock, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes, or until very tender. Season to taste. 4 Grease a 1 litre-capacity baking dish. Layer about a third of the brinjal in the dish. Cover with half the mince. Add another layer of brinjal and the remaining mince, then top with the remaining brinjal. Brush with a little oil. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. 5 Swirl the harissa through the yoghurt. Serve the mince and couscous with a sprinkling of mint and the harissa yoghurt. HEALTH-CONSCIOUS

WINE: Woolworths Boplaas

The Portuguese Connection