This recipe document shares instructions for making maldoum, a classic Syrian layered meat and eggplant dish. It can be prepared either on a grill or in the oven. The ingredients include ground beef or lamb, eggplants, tomatoes, tomato puree, allspice, and paprika. The eggplants are salted and drained of excess liquid before being roasted. Ground meat patties are alternated with the eggplant slices and tomatoes in a casserole dish, then baked with tomato puree on top.

1. Recipe
borrowed and
CLASS COOKBOOK adapted from
Tony Tahhan’s
EXAMPLE PHOTO ESSAY
“Olive
Blog
Juice”
http://www.antoniotahhan.com/blog/

2. MALDOUM
Ingredients
 1.5 lbs 90% ground beef or
lamb
 3 medium eggplants
 2 large tomatoes
 1/2 cup tomato puree
 1 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
 1 1/2 allspice, to taste
 1 tsp paprika, to taste
 Yields 6 servings

3. The dish is incredibly simple and only takes a few ingredients:
Eggplants, ground meat, tomatoes, tomato paste, allspice, and paprika.

4. The eggplants should be sliced fairly thick, about an inch wide, because
they will release a lot of water while they cook in the oven.

5. Before roasting the eggplants, sprinkle them with a bit of salt to help
break them down and remove some of the liquid stored inside.

6. Cover the eggplants with paper towels and place a baking sheet on top.
Weigh the baking sheet down with anything heavy to help the eggplants
drain more quickly (15-20 minutes). Anything heavy, like cans or even a
brick, will do.

7. The meat is important. You can use lamb or beef, but make sure it is
freshly ground and seasoned properly. You might even try ground
chicken or turkey for healthier alternatives. Remember, these are merely
guidelines.

8. Slice the eggplants in half so that they can fit nicely in the casserole
dish. Then form the meat patties and slice the tomatoes to roughly the
same size. Top the casserole with your favorite canned tomato puree
and bake in the oven for about an hour.

9. Bonne appétit

10. ABOUT THE DISH
“Syrian food is resourceful. Recipes are never exact; more like simple
instructions that vary between neighborhoods, and even families. A series
of handfuls and pines that, when executed properly, lead to extraordinary
meals. One of the dishes that exemplifies this culinary ingenuity is called
maldoum ( ), an incredibly delicious layered meat and eggplant dish.
The classic way to prepare this dish is over a grill, where you alternate meat
patties and eggplant slices on a skewer. When the dish is prepared over
the grill, it is called, kabob banjan ( ). But if you don’t have access
to a grill, you can prepare kabob banjan in the oven, and call it maldoum.”
Visit Tony Tahhan’s awesome food blog: http://www.antoniotahhan.com/blog/

11. PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
 Rinse and dr y the eggplants.
 Remove the tip of the eggplants, then slice into thick , even slices
(approximately 1 inch thick).
 Season the eggplant with salt on both sides, cover with a layer of paper
towels, and place a baking sheet with weights on top to drain some of
the water from the eggplants. This will take about 15 -20 minutes.
 Roast eggplants in a 425 degree oven for 20 -25 minutes until tender,
but not sof t.
 Slice the eggplants in half if they are ver y large. Slice the tomatoes
into roughly the same size as the eggplant slices.
 Season the ground beef with salt, allspice (freshly ground, if possible),
and paprika.
 Divide the meat into even patties, approximately the same size as the
eggplant slices.
 Alternate between eggplant, meat patties, and tomatoes in the
casserole dish.
 Pour the tomato puree evenly across the top of the casserole and bake
in a 425 degree oven for an hour.
 Ser ve with rice or pita bread and enjoy.