Recipe

Greek mince & brinjal bake

Recipe from Make five/Maak vyf
Serves 4 – 6

A tasty mince mixture is such a convenient recipe to have in your kitchen. With one or two small changes you can have a whole new meal ready in no time. I enjoy a mince mixture with a rich tomato flavour and it shouldn’t be too watery. The tomato paste in the recipe plays an important role in doing this and the red wine gives a lovely rich colour and flavour to the meat. Grated carrots are also a fabulous ingredient to add colour, a naturally sweet flavour and extra volume. Fresh herbs are essential for a basic mince mixture. The flavours in this mince can be easily adapted like in this Greek version. It uses lots of origanum, mint and brinjal, three of my favourite ingredients! This is then layered with pan-fried brinjal and a bit of cheese.

Ingredients

50 ml olive oil

500 g lean beef mince

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 carrots, coarsely grated

1 bay leaf

10 ml (2 tsp) ground coriander

1 x 50 g packet tomato paste

1 x 410 g tin chopped tomatoes

125 ml (½ cup) red wine or strong Rooibos

80 ml (⅓ cup) chopped fresh herbs of your choice, like Italian parsley, origanum, thyme and sage

lemon juice and finely grated lemon rind, salt and pepper to taste​

30 ml (2 tbsp) each coarsely chopped fresh mint and origanum

150 g cherry tomatoes, whole or halved

2 large brinjals, halved lengthwise and sliced

50 g (125 ml) finely grated parmesan, pecorino or mature white cheddar cheese

Method

1. Heat 15 ml of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium temperature and fry the mince until golden brown – do this in batches if the pan or pot is not that big. Spoon out and set aside.
2. Sauté onion and garlic for a few minutes in the same pan. Stir in carrots, bay leaf and coriander and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and sauté for 1-2 minutes to thicken slightly.
3. Stir in the browned mince with the tomatoes and rinse out the empty tin with some of the wine or tea. Stir in the rest of the liquid with the herbs and season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat and simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes or until cooked. Season to taste if needed. Mix the cherry tomatoes in.
5. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Meanwhile, heat a thin layer of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry brinjal in batches until light brown, but not completely cooked. Spoon out and repeat with the rest of the brinjal and oil, but don’t be tempted to use too much oil.
6. Spoon half of the mince in a 15 x 23 cm oven dish and place half of the brinjal in a single layer on top. Spoon the rest of the mince on top and end with a layer of brinjal.
7. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and heated through. Serve with a salad or some green veggies. 

Tips

1. If you haven’t prepared the mince beforehand, start by frying the brinjal and then prepare the mince in the same pan.
2. Stir cubes of feta cheese into the mince with the cherry tomatoes and omit the cheese on top.
3. This mince recipe is also perfect to double up and freeze half for later.