Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Guest Post: Fattet Magdoos (Eggplant Casserole)


It is with great pleasure to provide you with another delicious Middle Eastern dish from the sweet and talented Nour, a fellow RD, she grew up in Jordan and now lives in Virginia and has a little boy. Be sure to check out her blog full of nutrition advice and great recipes Practical Dietitian

Fattet Magdoos (Middle Eastern Eggplant Casserole)

While not famous elsewhere, this dish is a Middle Eastern favorite. Fattet magdoos is a mix of crunchy, warm, and cold layers with lots of flavors that complement each other perfectly.

This dish is best fresh. Since this recipe yields 4-6 entrĂ©e servings, it’s great for a family dinner or potluck parties. The trick is to assemble it just before it’s time to eat to maintain the crunchiness of the bread.

The original cooking method for this dish is to fry the eggplants and the bread. In my recipe, I broil the eggplants and use baked pita chips instead. The yield is a delicious fusion of low-fat and a taste of the Middle East.

Ingredients:

Eggplant mix:

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 2 large eggplants

· 1 onion, chopped

· 1 lb lean ground meat

· 1 tsp salt

· ¼ tsp pepper

· 1 tsp all spice

· 1 ½ c chicken stock

· 3 tbsp tomato paste

Yogurt mix:

· 2 c low-fat plain yogurt

· 2 tbsp tahini sauce

· 1 garlic clove, minced

· ¼ tsp salt

4 c pita chips (pieces must be less than 1-inch wide)

¼ c pine nuts

1 c parsley leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. 1. Peel the eggplants and slice lengthwise about ½ inch thick. Place in a baking sheet and brush with half the amount of olive oil. Broil on low for 20 minutes, or until golden. Then turn, brush the other side with the rest of the oil and broil for another 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the yogurt mix by stirring all the ingredients together. Toast the pine nuts by placing them on a baking sheet in a toaster oven (or in the oven with the eggplants)
3. Saute the onion with some olive oil in a medium size pan. When soft and clear, add the ground meat and cook until juices run clear. Season with salt, pepper, and all spice. Stir in the chicken stock and tomato paste.
4. When the eggplants are done, cut into 1-inch strips and add in to the meat mix. Cook for another 10 minutes.
5. To assemble, place the pita chips on the bottom of a deep glass or stone bake ware (pyrex). Layer the meat mix and then the yogurt. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and parsley.
6. Serve immediately.


By:

Nour El-Zibdeh, RD

Nour El-Zibdeh, RD, is a registered dietitian based in Northern Virginia. She is a nutrition consultant, freelance writer, and blogger. In her blog, Practical Nutrition By Dietitian, she continues to inspire people to take practical steps for better nutrition and health. In her consulting practice, Nour offers nutrition and wellness speaking and writing services.

Links

Practical Nutrition: http://www.PracticalNutritionByDietitian.com/

Consulting Practice: http://www.NourRD.com





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29 comments:

  1. This is making me very very hungry!! Looks delish!

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  2. hello , yummm i love middle eastern cooking,

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  3. Yum! I love all fatteh dishes and this one is particularly delicious!

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  4. Mmm...this casserole looks wonderful--great flavors.

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  5. That looks very delicious, especially the last picture...such a big tray.

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  6. egg plants, yoghurt n spice...i dont htink it cld get any better! great guest post!

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  7. This is very flavourful. Can share some please :)

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  8. I'm glad you all like it! It IS really delicious! Why not make it for the Super Bowl party this weekend?

    Thanks for checking my blog. I have more Middle Eastern recipes there.

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  9. I am so on a kick of eating food with this flavor profile, and I must say I am incredibly excited to try this. Wonderful guest post!

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  10. Rebecca, another great guest post! I have been looking for different ways to prepare eggplant and Nour's recipe sounds amazing.

    I am definitely going to browse through her site for more creative recipes. Many thanks...

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  11. Thanks Rebecca for introducing us to another fantastic food blogger. This recipe looks delicious, great combination of flavor and texture.
    Mimi

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  12. what a delicious eggplant casserole, looks wonderful!thank you.

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  13. Looks delicious! Great flavors and yogurt--perfect!

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  14. Hello Rebecca
    what an awesome dish looks delicious and beautiful..

    A small correction to the dish name:It is called Fattet Batinjan which means Fattet Eggplants, the Magdoos means pickled in Arabic.

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  15. Oh how I love middle eastern dishes! This looks quite good and would be perfect for my Regional Recipes event...if you wanted to submit it!

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  16. Hi Arlette,
    Yes, bitinjan is eggplant. And magdoos is pickled eggplants. But for some reason, in Jordan and Syria, we call this dish "fattet magdoos" although it doesn't use pickled eggplant.
    Kind of confusing, but it's just the name. Are you familiar with Middle Eastern food?

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  17. My father use to crave this dish and only my aunt knew how to make it properly! Thank you for posting your recipe. It looks fabulous!!

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  18. I love middle eastern food! The casserole looks amazing.

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  19. Love middle eastern food. And love aubergine so this would be definite winner with me.

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  20. Very nice presentation! This eggplant looks fantastic and for sure tastes superb!

    All the best,

    Gera

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  21. Wow, another delicious looking eggplant recipe! Thank s for the inspiration.

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  22. Thank you all for your comments. And thanks for Rebecca for giving me the opportunity to share it!

    Excited to get to know you more
    -Nour

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  23. Olala...more egplant recipes But this does look really attractive LOL!

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  24. Never heard of this dish but I'll try to make it cause it must be delicious!

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