Kıymalı Patlıcan, Kabak ve Patates Yemeği (Turkish Musakka)

 Kıymalı Patlıcan, Kabak ve Patates Yemeği (Turkish Musakka) 

Super simple, super tasty, this is how my mum makes Musakka (without bechamel sauce - although we love it both ways (mum waits for me to make the Bechamel one, and in fact, my parents love my vegetable Musakka, on my YouTube channel), I love it like this with thick set creamy yoghurt and şehriyeli pilav (vermicelli rice, also on my YouTube channel).

I’ve made this before with soaking the aubergines in a little salt / putting pressure on them before cooking but it honestly didn’t make a huge difference to this dish so I’ve found it much easier to just do it this way.

 

Recipe - Serves 6 with sides

Ingredients

2 heaped tbsp tomato / red pepper paste or a mix of both

400ml boiling water

3 tbsp olive oil

2 large baking / 4 Maris piper / king Edward potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced into 1 1/2 cm rounds

2 large aubergines, long strips peeled off lengthways and sliced into 2cm rounds

2 medium courgettes, long strips peeled off lengthways and sliced into 2cm rounds

2 tbsp olive oil

500g beef / lamb mince (I prefer to use beef)

3 small onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin 

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1 tsp pul biber

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp black pepper

2 tsp dried mint

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

4 tbsp finely chopped parsley

2 tomatoes, 1 onion, 2 sivri / 1 green bell pepper

 

Method

Preheat oven to 190C (fan) / 210C conventional.

Dissolve the tomato / red pepper paste in a jug with the boiling water and leave to one side.

Pour three tbsp olive oil into a large serving dish and add the potatoes and aubergines to the dish. Give them all a good mix in the oil, loosely layer them (watch my highlights), then pop in the oven on the bottom shelf for 35-40 minutes (give them a little turn half way through).

Heat up the 2tbsp olive oil on a medium-high in a large pan and brown off the mince for 5-6 minutes. Add the onions, and lower the heat a little so that the onions really soften and soak up all the juices (10-15 mins). Add the garlic, stir for a couple of mins, then all the spices and herbs, give it a stir, then the chopped tomatoes, pomegranate molasses and vinegar, stir again, and heat through until it all starts to bubble, turn off the heat then stir through the chopped parsley

Once the aubergines and potatoes have been in the oven for 40 mins, take out, evenly layer the meat sauce over the top, pour in the tomato / red pepper paste water, top with sliced tomato, onion and green pepper, drizzle with a little olive oil, then pop back in the oven for another 25-30 minutes (I turn the heat up for the last 5-10mins so that the veg on top can caramelise a little.)

Take out, leave for a few mins before serving, serve with bread or rice (or both) and thick set yoghurt. A nice çoban salatası (shepherds salad) is also lovely.