Tencerede Patlıcan Musakka
Tencerede Patlıcan Musakka·(ten-jeh-reh-deh paht-luh-jahn moo-sahk-kah)
Sulu Yemek & Tencere (The Weeknight Pot on the Stove)
Skip the béchamel sauce. Simmered in a heavy Dutch oven until the tomatoes collapse, musakka is a stovetop affair—a savory stew meant to be eaten with a spoon over buttery rice. We're skipping the globe eggplants that soak up grease and swapping them for Japanese varieties, roasting them instead of frying to keep the mess down on a Tuesday at six p.m. and build a smoky char—tear off plain bread and wipe the pot clean.
Before you start
Soak the eggplant to extract the bitterness.
Place the zebra-peeled, sliced eggplants in a large bowl, cover completely with water, and stir in 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Let them sit for 20 minutes. This pulls out the bitterness and collapses the spongy cells, preventing the eggplant from absorbing too much oil. Drain and aggressively pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel.
Ingredients
- Japanese or Italian eggplants4 med
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- olive oil3 tbsp
- yellow onion1 med
- 80/20 ground beef1 lb
- Anaheim or Cubanelle peppers2 med
- garlic3 med cloves
- tomato paste1 tbsp
- fresh tomatoes2 med
- fresh tomato1 med
- salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- Aleppo pepper1 tsp
- ground cumin1/4 tsp
- hot water1 1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Roast the eggplant.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the soaked and dried eggplant slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush them generously with olive oil, and roast for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and tender.
- 02
Brown the beef and onions.
While the eggplant roasts, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide, shallow pot or braiser over medium heat. Sauté the diced onions for 5 minutes until translucent, then add the ground beef and cook until all its liquid evaporates and the meat begins to sizzle and brown in its own fat.
- 03
Build the meat sauce.
Add the chopped peppers and garlic to the beef, cooking for 2 minutes until soft. Clear a spot in the pan, drop the tomato paste directly onto the hot surface, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it darkens and smells sweet. Stir in the diced tomatoes, salt, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, and cumin, and let simmer for 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down.
- 04
Assemble the stew.
Transfer the meat sauce to a bowl and wipe the pot clean. Arrange the roasted eggplant slices in a single, slightly overlapping layer at the bottom of the pot, then spoon the meat sauce evenly over the top to completely blanket the eggplants. Arrange the sliced tomato over the meat as a garnish.
- 05
Simmer gently.
Gently pour the hot water down the side of the pot so you do not wash away the sauce. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, bring to a gentle bubble, then drop the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to let the eggplants drink up the savory juices.
- 06
Rest off the heat before serving.
Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let the pot sit for at least 15 minutes. This crucial resting period lets the oils settle and the flavors marry into a cohesive, velvety stew before you serve it with buttery rice pilaf.
Notes
Always choose slender eggplants over globe varieties.
American globe eggplants are too watery and spongy for authentic musakka. Japanese or Italian varieties have thinner skins and less moisture, perfectly mimicking the texture of the Turkish kemer patlıcan.
Never skip the resting period.
Musakka should never be served boiling hot straight off the stove. The 15-minute rest at the end transforms the dish from a watery boil to a cohesive, deeply flavored stew.
From Cook Turkish in America.