Lamb Stew Sultan's Delight (Turkish Hunkar Begendi)

Sultan's delight (Hunkar begendi) is an Ottaman dish that consists of a lamb stew served over an eggplant-bechamel sauce. The resulting dish is indeed fit for royalty and wonderfully comforting. In a number of countries you find a kind of two-tier system in the traditional cuisine - the foods that everyday people would eat and those eaten by royalty and those in high society. This is particularly true where there was a royal family or other ruling class. Naturally, there tends to be a difference in the ingredients. What would have been considered peasant foods typically include less meat or use what would have been considered "less desirable" cuts. Some dishes are creative ways to use up leftovers or stretch meat into more meals. The royal cuisine, on the other hand, highlights finer cuts of meat and often uses a long list of ingredients, including expensive spices. While both styles can take a while to cook, peasant meals typically involved long cooking to tenderize the meat, but the actual preparation is shorter. High society meals, meanwhile, may include elaborate preparations with many steps. Both can be equally delicious. This traditional Turkish dish is an interesting combination of the two. It is said to have been prepared for a Sultan during the Ottoman Empire who liked it so much the name means "The Sultan is delighted/pleased", often translated as "Sultan's Delight". The exact origins of the dish are unclear and you'll find a number of different stories about when it was first served then became popular. One popular example is that it was served for Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, during a visit to the Sultan at the time. But, the general theme is that the Sultan himself loved it, and hence the name was given.

Lamb Stew:
1½ lbs leg of lamb, diced into roughly bite-sized pieces
¼ tsp. kosher or sea salt
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 large onion or 2 medium
½ green pepper, or 1 whole, if small
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped tomatoes (recommend chopped fresh tomatoes, around 3, or if using canned, use crushed or finely chopped)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup light stock or water

Eggplant Béchamel:
3 lbs eggplant (about 3 medium-large)
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
1¼ cups milk, warmed
1½ oz Parmesan, cheddar, or a blend, grated

Season the pieces of lamb with kosher or sea salt and pepper. Dice the onion relatively finely and dice the pepper. Finely chop the garlic.

Warm the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for around 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the lamb chunks and brown on all sides. Then add the green pepper and garlic. Stir and cook for a couple more minutes.

Add the tomatoes, thyme, oregano and tomato paste to the pot. Stir to mix through and cook a minute. Then add the stock/water. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover with a lid, and then reduce the heat so that the sauce is gently simmering. Leave to cook for around 1 hour, so that the lamb is tender. (You may want to have the lid only half-on for part of this time to help the liquid reduce a little.)

Meanwhile, cook the eggplant. If possible, cook the eggplant on a grill/barbecue or over a gas burner. (You may want to cover around the burner with foil to catch any drips.) Alternatively, preheat the oven to 430°F, prick the eggplant all over with a knife, and place it on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. Roast for around 40 minutes. In all cases, you are looking for the inside of the eggplant to become very soft, and if over grill/flame, the skin should be well-charred. Once cooked, leave the eggplant to cool so it is safe to handle and open.

Once cooled, cut open the eggplant skin and scoop out the flesh. Either roughly chop and mash the flesh for a coarser texture, or blend it up for a smoother paste. In both cases, once chopped, try to drain off as much liquid as you can from the flesh as this can make it sour. If you want a really smooth purée, you can press the mixture through a fine strainer to remove the seeds.

Make the Béchamel:
Melt the butter in a medium-small saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted, add the flour. Stir as it cooks for a couple minutes and becomes gently nutty smelling.

Gradually add the milk and stir or whisk after each addition to make a smooth paste. Cook a minute or two more, as needed, to thicken slightly.

Remove the sauce from the heat, then add the cheese and stir through so that the cheese mixes in and melts. Add the eggplant purée and stir to mix evenly through. Season with a little kosher or sea salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, either spread some of the eggplant sauce over the bottom of individual plates or all of it on the bottom of a serving platter. In both cases, spread it out so it creates a bit of a bowl in the middle to hold the stew. Add the lamb stew in the middle of the eggplant sauce and serve with bread on the side.

Makes 4-6 servings.