Maloube (Ma a lube)

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 shoulder of lamb, cut into pieces
• 400 g onion(s), peeled and cut into large pieces
• 500 g diced tomatoes
• 400 g rice (long grain or parboiled rice)
• 5 large eggplants
• 50 g pine nuts
• Olives or neutral-tasting oil
• Salt
• pepper
• 3 tbsp, leveled spice mix, Ras el Hanout or Arabic pepper
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 15 minutes

Peel the eggplants, cut into 1.5 cm slices, and fry in hot oil until golden brown. Place the eggplants on a sheet of kitchen paper and place the eggplants on top to absorb the fat. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a 25-30 cm high pot. Heat until hot and brown the meat and onions on all sides over high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the ras el hanout and cinnamon. Reduce the heat to medium. Place the eggplants on the meat. Then the tomatoes. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Add a little more if you like. Place the rice in a bowl and mix with about ½ tsp of salt. Place on the tomatoes. Carefully pour hot water over the sides of the pot so that the rice is covered by 2 cm. Cover and simmer for about 75 minutes. The water is completely absorbed. Turn off the heat. Remove the lid and place a large plate over the pot. Grasp the left and right sides of the plate and the pot and carefully turn them, avoiding the risk of burning, so that the food lands on the plate. Place it on the work surface and very carefully lift the pot. Gently toast the pine nuts in a pan until golden brown and pour them over the ma alube.