Ingredients:

2 eggplant

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

Arabic 5 spice seasoning (Recipe below)

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

6 Roma tomatoes chopped

½ cup tomato paste

2 cups water

½ cup Tahina

2 cups yogurt

¼ cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic mashed

Salt and pepper

Fried almonds (you can also brown them under the broiler)

4 cups cubed and fried or toasted Pita Bread

Instructions:

• Peel, cut into cubes and put salt on the eggplants and let stand for 15 minutes. (Doing this will prevent the eggplant from absorbing the oil as you fry them.
• Fry in hot oil then drain on absorbent paper.
• Brown meat and onions, season with salt, black pepper, paprika, and Arabic spices.
• Mix tomato paste with water until tomato sauce is achieved.
• Place eggplant in sauce pan and add tomato sauce. Bring to a boil.
• Crush 1 clove garlic and sauté in olive oil; add to eggplants and tomato sauce.
• Mix Tahina with yogurt, 1 clove crushed garlic and lemon juice, and then add water to form a creamy mixture. Add salt to taste.
• Put the bread in the bottom of Pyrex.
• Add the eggplant and tomato sauce mixture, strain the meat and put over the eggplant.
• Finally pour the Tahina sauce on top and garnish with fried almonds, tomatoes and green onions.

Arabic Spice Seasoning (Ibharat)

1 tbsp ground black pepper

2 tsp allspice

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp cloves

Mix all together and keep in a airtight container. This can be used for most middle eastern recipes.