Eggplant, lamb and pistachio "pizza"

Feel like a different spin on pizza?  How about you try using an aubergine base -  it's just as easy and less processed than your normal pizza base.  You can top aubergine bases with whatever you like. One recipe we recently stumbled upon had a tomato base, bacon, spinach and mozzeralla topping.

This recipe is something a little bit different, but just as delicious and it adds a bit of a Moroccan spin pizzazz.  Feel free to adjust ingredients as you like.  We were considering using sliced lamb fillet but went for a slightly more affordable option > mince.

We are sad to say we didn't have any pomegranate seeds to sprinkle on top of the pizzas pictured above, but just imagine how great they will look and taste if you have some!

Enjoy and experiment!

Eggplant, lamb and pistachio "pizza"

Pizza sauce
100g feta
4 Tbsp sour cream
Fresh mint

The "Pizza"
3 eggplants
500g lamb mince
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp Ras El Hanout spice mix (see below)
1 can tomatoes (400g)
Small handful thyme
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped
Extra feta for crumbling on top

Topping
1/2 cup natural yoghurt
fresh mint to garnish
seeds of 1 pomegranate

Ras El Hanout spice mix 
Courtesy of Pretty Damn Good for You
(if you are missing some spices don't worry!)

2½ Tbsp Cumin Seeds
2 Tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
2 Tsp Ground Ginger
2 Tsp Black Peppercorns
1 Tsp Ground Turmeric
10 Cardamom Pods
To make spice mix heat a heavy based frying pan over a medium heat and toast the whole spices until they become fragrant. Remove from the heat and add them to a mortar and pestle along with the remaining spices. Grind to a fine powder.

To make:

1. Preheat oven to 200C
2. Slice eggplants lengthways about 1cm thick and lay flat on a baking sheet.  
3. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake eggplant until slightly browned.
5. Add a lug of olive oil to a pan on medium heat.  Add garlic and spice mix and stir until fragrant (being careful not to burn your garlic).
6. Add mince and brown, continuously stirring
7. Finally add tomatoes and thyme and simmer until liquid has totally reduced.
8. To make the pizza sauce, add all ingredients into a bowl and whisk together (you can use a stick blender or food processor if you prefer), set aside.
9. To assemble the pizza, spread half the pizza sauce onto the cooked eggplant then add a couple of spoonfuls of the lamb mince, and top with red onions, pistachios and crumble with feta. 
10. Put back in the oven for 10 minutes one at a time, or until cooked warmed through.
11. Once removed from the oven add a dollop of yoghurt, pomegranate seeds (not pictured sorry) and fresh mint.

Enjoy!