I had a lamb shoulder in the freezer. Small, as they tend to be in Spain — a proper village butcher cut rather than the supermarket alternative — and I couldn't remember what I'd bought it for. I defrosted it, looked at it, and went looking for inspiration.

Thomasina Miers reminded me what to do with it. Her spiced lamb-stuffed aubergine with Aleppo chilli butter is the kind of recipe that makes you wonder why you haven't been making it for years. I minced the shoulder myself on the KitchenAid — coarse plate, which gives a better texture than shop-bought mince and far more flavour. I couldn't get Aleppo chilli in rural Andalucía, so I used my homemade biber salçası instead. And I had kefir in the fridge rather than Greek yoghurt. It all worked.

Thomasina Miers' Lamb-Stuffed Aubergine — What I Changed

The original is a generous, sharing dish. I scaled it to one — one aubergine, one portion of mince, one person eating it on the roof terrace with a glass of something cold. The biber salçası in the chilli butter is not a compromise. It's a Turkish red pepper paste, fruity and mild, and it does exactly what Aleppo chilli would do — it gives the butter warmth and colour without aggression. If you want to make your own, the recipe is here.

The kefir works better than you'd expect. It's thinner than Greek yoghurt, so don't stir it in — dollop it at the end and let it pool into the sauce. The acidity cuts through the lamb beautifully.

Ingredients

For the aubergine and lamb filling:

1 medium aubergine 1 tbsp olive oil 120–150g lamb shoulder, minced at home (coarse plate) or lamb mince ½ small onion, finely chopped 1 small garlic clove, crushed ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander ¼ tsp cinnamon Pinch of smoked paprika 1 tbsp tomato purée 50ml water or stock Salt and black pepper Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

For the chilli butter:

20g butter 1 tsp biber salçası (or Aleppo chilli if you have it) Squeeze of lemon

To serve:

Bulgur, couscous or rice 1–2 tbsp kefir or Greek yoghurt Extra parsley

Method

Mince the lamb If using a whole cut, pass the lamb shoulder through a coarse mincing plate. Set aside.

Roast the aubergine Halve the aubergine lengthways and score the flesh in a tight criss-cross pattern, down to the skin but not through it. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt. Roast on a baking sheet at 200°C for 30–35 minutes until the flesh is soft and golden.

Cook the lamb filling Fry the onion in a little olive oil over a medium heat until soft. Add the garlic, then the lamb mince with the cumin, coriander, cinnamon and paprika. Cook until browned. Add the tomato purée and water or stock, simmer for ten minutes until saucy. Season well and stir in the parsley.

Make the chilli butter Melt the butter gently. Stir in the biber salçası and a squeeze of lemon. Keep warm.

Assemble Spoon the lamb mixture generously over the roasted aubergine halves. Drizzle with the chilli butter. Add dollops of kefir or yoghurt and scatter with parsley. Serve immediately with bulgur, couscous or rice.

Footnote:

This lamb stuffed aubergine recipe is featured in my Lamb & Goat Recipes hub — a collection of proper lamb and goat dishes from the Casa Adora kitchen and the road.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef