Fattet Makdoos (layered platter of stuffed eggplants)

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From my Plated Heirlooms

“Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.”   – Khalil Gibran

For today’s recipe I am posting one very special Fatteh platter. Fatteh is an appetiser/ layered platter consisting of fried or toasted bread, topped with a cooked vegetable/s in some sauce, usually topped with garlic infused yogurt, and at times including tahina, then topped with garnish. Fatteh can be solely vegetarian, or it can include meats as in the case of Fattet Djaj (recipe on this link). These are the traditional makings of most Fatteh platters. However, a Fatteh platter can have so many variations.

With that said, my mum makes this beautiful fatteh every Ramadan, and in a way Ramadan was never complete without this delicious dish. In fact, Ramadan was always inaugurated with this Fatteh that in our household it became synonymous with the month! So, in this recipe instead of using the usual crunchy bread cubes, we are going to toast the bread cubes, then re-hydrate them with chicken or beef stock. This Fatteh therefore offers a comforting, chewy, soft experience as opposed to that crunchy texture of other Fatteh types. Don’t let that turn you off, the whole outcome falls right into comfort foods, one that you will really appreciate when craving a salty, creamy, soft texture that is super moist, super delicious.

Another major difference in this version is that instead of going for the simple garlic infused yogurt, we are mixing both yogurt and tahini to make the sauce. The flavour combinations, the creamy smoothness, the slight chew, against the velvety tomato sauce…. what more can I say?!Except try it!

Ingredients

For Making Makdoos
  • 10 – 15 pieces organic baby eggplants
  • 1 recipe Classic Meat Filling (recipe on this link)
  • 1 kg ripe organic tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp DS Premium Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • Salt & black pepper to taste
For the soaked bread mixture
For Garnish
  • Finely chopped parsley
  • toasted pine nuts and almonds

Start by making the classic meat filling from the recipe on this link.

Make the Yogurt & Tahini Sauce following the recipe on this link.

Toast the bread in a preheated oven until golden and crunchy.

Peel the baby eggplants, leaving a few strips of skin on. Make a slit along one of the sides of each eggplant and fry or grill the eggplants until slightly golden brown. Drain the fried eggplants on kitchen towels, and set aside to slightly cool.

Once cooled, fill the eggplants – through the side slits – with the meat filling and set aside.

In a medium cooking pot, heat the olive oil and stir fry the chopped, peeled tomatoes until softened. Add the honey and mix then continue to cook until the tomatoes have reduced slightly.

Add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Adjust the liquid level if necessary by adding a little water or chicken/beef broth. Just keep in mind that you want to end up with a thick sauce not a tomato soup, so be careful about adding too much water.

 

Add the filled eggplants and carefully fold to coat. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place the toasted bread in a large saucepan and re-hydrate them with the broth and fold to coat. Add 1 cup of the yogurt and tahini sauce onto the re-hydrated bread and fold to coat.

Place the bread mixture at the bottom of a serving dish, top the mixture with the rest of the yogurt and tahini sauce and spread to cover the whole surface. Carefully fish out the stuffed eggplant pieces, and place them on top of the tahini sauce layer. Once you have placed all the eggplants, drizzle their tomato sauce all over the tops.

Garnish all with finely chopped fresh parsley, and toasted almonds and pine nuts. Serve warm.

In the case of left overs although remotely possible, you can also enjoy this fatteh cold.

Ramadan Mubarak

This recipe is from the repertoire of over 280 recipes in my book Plated Heirlooms. The book contains recipes from all sections of the Palestinian cuisine, starting with Mooneh (pantry recipes) to dessert and everything in between. Plated Heirlooms is a documentation of recipes and cuisine rationale as well as the compiled story of the cuisine.

All Plated Heirlooms recipes come with background information and thorough descriptions that in the end tie up with the rest of the book’s narrative to explain to you the formation and makings of Palestinian cuisine.

You can order “Plated Heirlooms” here and we will ship it to you anywhere in the world.

 

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