I was surprised to see that I had never listed this recipe which is high up there among my favourite meals. Tasty, easy and never fails.

I have been cooking it for so long that it was refreshing to go back to one of the original recipes (I have come across this recipe in various guises over the years) in Elizabeth David’s ‘Spices, Salt and Aromotics in the English Kitchen’, first published in 1970.

This is my version:

1 kg stewing lamb
2 medium aubergines
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
250g (preferably plum) tomatoes, skinned and chopped
Large bunch of mint or coriander
1 clove garlic, crushed
Olive oil
2 heaped teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Start by preparing the aubergines. Cut them into 1 cm cubes, or segments if you prefer, and put them in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and leave for 1-2 hours for the excess mositure to drain. Rinse and pat dry on a kitchen towel.

Prepare the toasted cumin seeds. (I am always full of admiration for Elizabeth David for suggesting such a generous serving of cumin in this dish).

Into a large frying pan pour 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil and gently fry the onion segments until they start to brown. Add the diced lamb, salt and pepper. Cook the meat, turning it often so that all sides are nicely browned.

Remove the meat and onions,using a slotted spoon, to a casserole dish and add the aubergines to the remaining juices, adding a tablespoon or two of oil. Cover and let the aubergines cook gently for about 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Add the aubergine to the meat in the casserole dish together with the crushed garlic, tomatoes, and the toasted cumin. Chop the coriander or pull the leaves from the mint and add these.

Cover and cook in a moderate (150°C) oven for at least an hour.

Serve with plain or pilau rice.