Lamb on Smoked Aubergine Puree (Hunkiar Begienti)

Hunkiar begienti came to Greece with the refugees of 1922 and has been part of the Politiki repertoire ever since. The name translates roughly as the sultan approved, which tells you where it started, and it remains the most impressive thing in that whole body of cooking.

It is really two recipes served together. On the plate goes a puree of aubergine that has been charred whole until the skin is black, folded into a bechamel with grated kefalotyri, and over it goes lamb that has spent an hour and a half in tomato and onion until it gives way to a spoon.

Everything depends on the charring. Aubergine cooked in an oven gives a sweet, mild puree with no character. Aubergine blackened directly over a flame until the skin collapses tastes of smoke, and that smoke against the rich meat is the entire reason the dish is famous.

Key preparation steps

1. Brown the meat hard, then stew it slowly in tomato.
2. Char whole aubergines over a flame until collapsed.
3. Make a bechamel and beat in the aubergine flesh and cheese.
4. Spoon the meat and its sauce over the hot puree.

Lamb or veal?

Both are correct and both are made. Lamb shoulder is the older choice and gives the richer, more assertive result. Veal or beef shin is what most Greek households use now, and it is milder and slightly cleaner against the aubergine.

Whichever you use, buy it on the fatty and gelatinous side and cut it into generous chunks of about four centimetres. Lean cubes dry out over ninety minutes, while shoulder and shin only get better.

How do I char the aubergines properly?

Directly over a gas flame or on a barbecue, turning with tongs, until the skin is blistered black all over and the aubergine has collapsed in on itself. It takes twelve to fifteen minutes and it will make a mess of the hob, which is unavoidable.

Under a grill at maximum, as close to the element as the shelf allows, is the fallback. Turn every few minutes. Whatever you do, do not roast them in the oven: you get soft aubergine with no smoke, and the dish loses the thing that makes it itself.

Why is the puree made with bechamel?

Plain aubergine puree is watery and sags on the plate. Folding it into a bechamel gives it a body that will hold a spoonful of stew on top without collapsing, and the milk and butter round out the smoke.

Make the bechamel first, quite thick, and beat the aubergine flesh into it over low heat so the extra moisture cooks off. Then the grated kefalotyri goes in off the heat, where it melts without splitting.

How do I stop the puree turning grey?

Aubergine flesh discolours fast once exposed to air. Scoop it out while still hot, chop it on a board with a lemon-wetted knife, and get it into the hot bechamel within a couple of minutes.

A squeeze of lemon juice into the flesh as you chop keeps it pale, and it also lifts the finished puree. Do not blend it smooth in a processor, incidentally: the texture should be slightly rough, and a machine makes it gluey.

What matters in this dish