Recipe | Unctuous eggplant shakshuka

This dish sits somewhere between baba ghanoush and shakshuka – it’s rich, velvety, smoky and sweet–savoury in a way that feels primal and messy and slightly indecent in the best possible way.

The eggplant is the whole show. It’s cooked far longer than we usually dare in Australia, until it loses all sponginess and becomes something silky and complex. You make little dips for the eggs right at the end and finish with fresh labna, warm Lebanese bread and a scatter of herbs and pomegranate.

It’s sexy, it’s soulful, it’s sticky. It is, in every sense of the word, unctuous.

Serves 4

Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

2 tablespoons ghee

2 eggplants (aubergines), cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) dice

2 red onions, cut into thin wedges

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons tomato paste

400 g (14 oz) tinned crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

salt

4 eggs

4 pita breads

½ bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves

½ bunch mint leaves

85 g ( ½ cup) pomegranate arils

200 g (7 oz) labna

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Method

Heat the olive oil and ghee in a large frying pan (flameproof if possible), over medium heat. Add the eggplant and cook for 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until it’s deeply golden, starting to collapse and catching just slightly in places.

Add the onion and garlic and continue cooking for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is soft, darkened and intensely sweet.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then add the crushed tomatoes, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cinnamon, honey and pomegranate molasses. Season with salt. Reduce the heat and let everything simmer gently for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick, glossy and heavily reduced.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced.

Transfer to a deep ovenproof pan or dish if needed. Use the back of a spoon to make four deep holes in the sauce, then crack an egg into each one. Bake for 8–10 minutes or until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft.

Meanwhile, warm the pita breads and wrap them in a tea (dish) towel to keep them soft.

Remove the eggs from the oven and top with the parsley, mint and pomegranate arils. Drizzle with olive oil and serve hot with labna and the warm bread for scooping.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

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Hints: Eggplant needs time – keep the heat steady and cook it until fully transformed.

The honey and molasses shouldn’t make this sweet – they should add roundness and depth.

Labna can be served plain or swirled with olive oil and sumac for a little extra brightness.

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Other recipes from Tender — 

Green curry stew