Instructions

Follow the steps and taste along the way.

1. Prepare the eggplants

   Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and score the flesh in a crosshatch pattern without cutting through the skin. Brush them with 20 ml olive oil, season with 2 g salt, and place them cut-side down on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, until the flesh is tender and the cut surfaces begin to brown.

2. Brown the beef

   While the eggplant roasts, finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Heat the remaining 15 ml oil in a wide pan. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes, until softened. Add the beef, increase the heat, and cook for 6–8 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and letting it brown in places. Stir in the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon, the remaining 5 g salt, and the black pepper, then cook briefly, for about 30 seconds.

3. Cook the bulgur filling

   Add the bulgur to the pan and stir to coat it in the pan juices. Pour in the tomato passata and 180 ml water. Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 12–15 minutes, until the bulgur is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, stir in the finely chopped parsley, and leave covered for 3 minutes to finish cooking.

4. Stuff and finish roasting the eggplant

   Turn the roasted eggplant halves cut-side up. Gently press down the flesh with a spoon to make a hollow, then fill evenly with the beef bulgur. Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast for another 8 minutes at 220 °C, until the filling is heated through and the edges of the eggplant have browned a little more.

5. Finish the lemon tahini

   Whisk the tahini with the lemon juice in a bowl. The mixture will thicken at first; gradually whisk in 60 ml cold water until smooth and lightly pourable. Taste: the sauce should be distinctly tangy and salty from the tahini. Serve drizzled over the hot stuffed eggplants.