This is an adaptation of a recipe in Istanbul & Beyond: Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey by Robyn Eckhardt, and Carol thought it was a real winner.  It makes 4 servings with Rice & Orzo Pilaf.

There are 3 parts to this recipe, none of them difficult, and it takes about 75 minutes in total.  It looks great served out of the baking dish.

For the Sauce

2 tsp. za’tar or dried thyme (I used Jordanian za’tar)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. Aleppo pepper

3 Tbs. olive oil

28 oz can whole tomatoes

For the Kofte

1 lb. ground beef of lamb, preferably fatty (I used 80/20 ground beef)

0.25 cup finely chopped onion

2 Tbs. finely chopped Italian parsley

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground coriander

1.5 tsp ground allspice

1.25 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

0.5 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. Aleppo pepper

1 Tbs. olive oil

For the Eggplant

2 lbs. long Asian eggplants (5 or 6)

0.25 cup olive oil, plus more if needed (I used a total of 5 Tbs.

Start by making the tomato sauce.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan.  Add the spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the whole tomatoes and their juice.  Use an immersion blender to break up the tomatoes.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

While the tomato sauce is cooking, make the kofte.

On a wooden cutting board, press the meat into a rectangle about 8 inches square.  Sprinkle the surface with the onion and parsley.

In a small bowl, mix together the salt and spices.  Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the meat.  Drizzle the olive oil over the meat.

With a large knife, press furrows in the meat from one direction and then turn it 90 degrees and press furrow perpendicular to the first set.  Using the knife, lift up the right third of the meat and fold it over the center.  Repeat with the left third of the meat.  Pat the meat out into a second rectangle and rotate it 90 degrees.  Repeat folding the meat like a letter.  Press, rotate, and fold 2 more times.  Form the meat again into a rectangle and using the knife divide it into 20 pieces.  (Cur into 4stripes in one direction and in 5 strips from the perpendicular direction.  Form each of the 20 pieces into a ball.

To make the eggplant, start by cutting off the ends and peeling strips of the skin leaving about 50 percent of the skin.  Cut the eggplant into 2 inch pieces.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet, and add the eggplant.  Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add additional olive oil if necessary, but be cautious since the eggplant will release oil when it bakes.  When the eggplant is mostly softened and browned, remove from the heat.

Grease an ovenproof skillet or baking dish with olive oil or butter.  (I used a 12-inch cast iron skillet.)  Put the tomato sauce in the bottom of the skillet.  Arrange the eggplant pieces around in the skillet.  Put the kofte between pieces of eggplant.  Cover the skillet with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the kofte are nicely browned.