HÜNKAR BEGENDI RECIPES

Steps:

• Take 4 medium-sized eggplants and make a few holes in each of them with a knife and place them on the baking tray. Bring the oven’s heat to 200C (390F) and bake them for about 20 minutes.
• After eggplants are baked and softened peel them and then mash them and set them aside.
• Bring the heat to medium level. Then; place the olive oil in a frying pan and add the leg of lamb meat cubes and sauté until tender (about 10 minutes).
• Add the finely chopped onions and sliced garlic cloves and continue to sauté for about 2 minutes.
• Add the peeled and diced tomatoes, ground black pepper, salt, and tomato paste and continue to sauté for about 3 minutes.
• Add the 2 cups of boiled water and mix them well and close the frying pan lid.
• Bring the heat to a low level and cook for about 20 minutes to let the meat soften.
• While the meat is cooking, it is time to prepare the ‘begendi‘ (eggplant puree) part of the dish.
• Bring the heat to a medium level. Then; melt french butter in a frying pan and add ground flour and stir for about 3 minutes until the roux has thickened and gives a cooked aroma.
• Add the baked and mashed eggplants to the frying pan and stir the mix for about 2 minutes.
• Slowly, add the whole milk to the mix and stir continuously for about 3 minutes.
• Add salt and ground black pepper and cheese to the bechamel sauce and stir until cheese melts. Usually, melting cheese shouldn’t take more than a minute.
• For serving; you can either place the entire eggplant puree mix onto a big serving plate and place the top with the lamb stew or you can make the same with individual plates. In both cases, the eggplant puree mix will be at the bottom and the lamb stew will be at the top.

Steps:

• Grill eggplants whole without peeling them by holding over a flame and turning slowly, or prick skin in several places and set in hot oven.
• When the skin begins to break and the inside pulp feels soft, slip off the skin; discard sacs containing seeds and chop up pulp; put pulp in a saucepan.
• Mix lemon juice with pulp and simmer until very soft, stirring often (10-15 minutes).
• Meanwhile, melt butter, add flour to it and allow flour to brown.
• Beat the butter and flour mixture into the eggplant.
• Slowly add several tablespoons of hot milk and the nutmeg and continue beating until mixture resembles mashed potatoes.
• Lastly add several tablespoons of grated cheese and cook several minutes more.
• Serve immediately.