Makloubeh - lean ground beef

Method

• Wash the rice under running water. Rinse it well and leave aside to drain.
• Chop the onion very finely and peel and slice the aubergine lengthways.
• Heat half of the oil gently in a lidded saucepan. Add the chopped onion, mix well and reduce the heat. Cover the pan with the lid and allow to cook about 3 minutes.
• Mix the onion well, and add the minced beef.
• Using a fork, break it up in the pan, increasing the heat for a few minutes.Cover the pan once more and allow to simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
• In another pan, heat the remainder of the oil. Add the sliced aubergines, and fry them until golden on both sides.
• Remove the fried aubergine with a fork and drain very well on kitchen paper. This is a very important step to avoid the aubergine being excessively oily.
• Mix the spices and salt with just under two litres of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Place half of the cooked minced beef mixture in the bottom of a large greased ovenproof dish. Cover this with half of the fried aubergine slices & sprinkle with half of the rice. Repeat these layers finishing with rice. Pour spice mixture over casserole. Place in the centre of oven 325F & bake for 1 hour or until rice is tender. Heat the melted butter and fry the nuts until golden. Remove the cooked dish from the oven, turn it out on to a serving dish and garnish with the fried nuts and pour over the melted butter.
• Enjoy!