Levantine Lasagne

After three inches of snow and a bitter wind, a roaring hot fire and the trials of the week shed. I couldn't
resist just putting the radio on and getting in the kitchen.


I call this a Levantine Lasagne, I just love the word "Levant" , I love its romance and evocation of Arabian dhows,
spice markets, swarthy traders and sultans. It is where Africa, meets Europe and Asia; The melting pot of Greeks, Arabs, English, French and Venetian traders, Ottomans and North Africans. (The days before passports and the illusions of racial purity and discrete nation states )
Scan any Levantine recipe and a pound to a penny you'll find ground lamb. And that is the backbone of this dish.
I recently saw a little palestinian cookbook authored by the elderly father of well know poet. It was full of hand-drawn illustrations and anecdotes. Nearly every single recipe featured ground lamb.


What you'll need is 
1 large sweet red onion
1 lb of ground lamb
4- 5 medium ripe tomatoes
1 large fat aubergine
1 cup of couscous
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan


The Spices


Cinnamon
Allspice
Smoked Paprika
1 Ancho Chilly ( another type will do but the Ancho has a deep smokey mellow flavour and is ideal)
Few sprigs Thyme and Marjoram ( fresh if you have them)


Slice the tomatoes into fat half inch slices and make a layer of them with a splash of Olive oil into the bottom of a pyrex or other baking dish.


Slice the aubergine in half in inch thick slices, salt and let sit for 10 mins.


Cook the couscous ( boil a pan of 3 cups of chicken stock- as soon as it comes to a boil turn it off and add a cup of couscous and cover-  let it sit till the couscous absorbs the liquid)


Finely chop the onion and begin to fry with olive oil till golden and soft.
Mix the spices and herbs with the lamb and add to the onions, fry till the lamb is browned and remove from the stove.
Fry the aubergine slices till nicely brown and soft. (I use extra virgin olive oil for most things but frying an aubergine consumes vast amounts of oil so use whatever your preference or judgement dictates.)


The tomatoes are the bottom layer, next the lamb, then the aubergines, grated Parmesan and finally Couscous.
Cover the dish with foil or wax paper and place in the oven for 20 mins. 375 - 400.


Serves four or two very hungry and greedy people.