Recipe Baked aubergine with spiced mince beef and whipped feta

[Morning Glory]

The spiced mince (ground) beef in this dish is intriguing. I think its the combination of allspice with Scotch bonnet chilli which does the trick. The whipped feta adds a lovely tangy taste which contrasts with 'hidden honey/maple syrup' on the aubergine. The quantities given for the beef serve 4 (with quantity as shown in the images) but its not really practical to cook half the quantity. You could use the remainder in a pasta dish.

Baking a whole aubergine is really easy! I served this as a starter but if you wanted to make a more substantial dish, you could serve with chips (fries) or fried potato and a crisp salad.

Ingredients (serves 2)
2 x aubergines

For the spiced mince beef (serves 4):
250g low fat beef mince
2 fat cloves of garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp allspice powder
½ tsp cinnamon powder
Splash of red or white wine
200 ml beef stock
½ a Scotch bonnet chilli (or add chopped chilli of your choice)
1 heaped tsp tomato puree
Sugar to taste (I used 1 tsp)
Salt to taste

For the whipped feta:
75g feta
3 tbsp plain yoghurt

To serve:
A little honey (or maple syrup)
Fresh mint leaves
Chiili oil (optional)

Method
For the aubergines:

1. Heat oven to 180C. Prick aubergines with a sharp knife in a few places and bake whole for 40 min or until tender.

For the spiced mince beef:

1. Place the beef in a frying pan over a fairly high heat (no need to add oil). Fry until the beef colours, turn the heat down slightly and add garlic, allspice and cinnamon. Fry for a few minutes more.
2. Add a splash of wine and allow it sizzle. Then add the stock and chilli. Stir in the tomato puree
3. Simmer gently for at least 30 minutes until almost all of the stock is reduced. Add water if it reduces too much - but you really don’t want a sloppy gravy for this dish.
4. Add sugar and salt to taste.

For the whipped feta:

1. Add the feta and yoghurt to a blender and blitz. I use a stick blender.

To serve:

1. Split the aubergines from stem to base and open out (like a baked potato).
2. Brush the interior of the aubergines with runny honey (or maple syrup)
3. Pile the mince over the aubergine and add the whipped feta.
4. Garnish with mint leaves and dot a little chilli oil around the plate.