Fattet Makdous (layered baby eggplant dish)

If you ask me what my favorite Ramadan side dish is; it would be this exact dish right here. I am obsessed with fattet makdous which basically is a layered baby eggplant dish with ground beef, bread, and sauces. It literally has all my favorite things in a dish. I have been craving this more than ever lately and with Ramadan right around the corner; I knew I had to come up with a recipe for you all that was just as good but a tad healthier and better for those with gluten and dairy intolerance. Yes, there are several steps to this meal but they are all crucial and so worth it!

Servings: 2-4 people

Total Time: approx. 1 hour

Ingredients (preparation of eggplant)

6 baby eggplants

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

•  Take off the stems of eggplants and toss the eggplants in olive oil, salt and pepper. Saute on stove top for a few minutes then finish off the cooking of the eggplant in a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes or so till tender.

Ingredients (preparation of beef)

1/2 a chopped sweet or yellow onion

1 1/4 lb of lean ground beef

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 tbsp all spice

Dash of cinnamon

Salt & pepper to taste

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp pomegranate molasses

2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

• Add some olive oil to a pan then add the pine nuts. Sautee till lightly toasted and place aside on a plate lined with paper towel.
• In the same pan, add a little more oil and start to cook the onion. Once translucent add the ground beef and add all the seasonings mentioned. Cook till beef is browned. This shouldn’t take more than 5-7 minutes.
• Add half the pine nuts back into the beef mixture.
• Once the eggplants are read, slice them in the middle to create a pocket. Stuff the pocket with the beef mixture and set the eggplants aside.
• Add the leftover ground beef to the tomato sauce.

Ingredients (preparation of tomato layer)

2 tomatoes chopped

3 garlic cloves minced

1/2 a chopped yellow onion

Salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

• In a pan, add olive oil and saute the onions and garlic then add in the chopped tomatoes. Let this all melt together into a rough sauce.

Ingredients (white sauce preparation)

1 tbsp tahini

1 cup dairy free yogurt (kite hill almond unsweetened plain yogurt)

1 tbsp chopped dill

1/2 a lemon’s juice

Salt & pepper

4 minced garlic cloves

Instructions

• Mash the garlic with some salt. In a bowl, add the yogurt, tahini, dill, and lemon juice. To that, add the garlic then season with some salt and pepper. Allow this to sit overnight or for a few hours for flavors to blend well.

Ingredients (preparation of bread)

2 gluten free tortilla wraps or gluten free pita

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp garlic powder

• On a baking sheet, add pieces of bread. Drizzle with olive oil and garlic powder. Toast in 350 degree oven till crisp.

How to Layer:

• In a deep dish, add the crisped bread. On top of that, layer the tomato sauce with the extra ground beef. Then add the white sauce on top of all that. Then cushion in the stuffed baby eggplants. Garnish with cilantro/parsley and the rest of the toasted pine nuts.