Name: Spiced lamb Sloppy Joe
Ingredients: 1 large aubergine, diced into 3cm pieces (300g); 1 onion, finely chopped (160g); 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 3 tbsp olive oil; 500g lamb mince; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp turmeric; 1 tbsp smoked paprika; 1 tbsp ground cinnamon; 50g pine nuts; 1 tbsp flour; 2 tsp sugar; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 500ml chicken stock; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 jar queen chickpeas, drained (400g); 20g parsley, roughly chopped; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 4-6 large crusty rolls; fine sea salt

New

Main Comfort

Serves 4-6

Prep 15 min

Cook 45 min

A Sloppy Joe is an American classic: a chilli-ish filling stuffed into a crusty roll. This version has lamb instead of beef, pine nuts, and enough warm spices to make it very familiar to my palate. It's still recognisably a Sloppy Joe - sweet, tomatoey, fall apart. Serve with some extra accompaniments: lemony tahini sauce, sour cream, plenty of pickles, and a comfortable pair of sweatpants.

Ingredients

1 large	aubergine, diced into 3cm pieces (300g)
1	onion, finely chopped (160g)
2	cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp	olive oil
500g	lamb mince
1 tsp	ground cumin
1 tsp	turmeric
1 tbsp	smoked paprika
1 tbsp	ground cinnamon
50g	pine nuts
1 tbsp	flour
2 tsp	sugar
2 tbsp	tomato paste
500ml	chicken stock
1 tbsp	Worcestershire sauce
1 jar	queen chickpeas, drained (400g)
20g	parsley, roughly chopped
1 tbsp	lemon juice
4-6 large	crusty rolls
	fine sea salt

Method

Place the first 3 ingredients into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside.
Place a large heavy bottomed frying pan over high heat and add the olive oil followed by the lamb. Break up the lamb into a fine mince and cook for about 5 minutes until well browned, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to catch all the brown bits. Add the blitzed vegetables along with 1 ½ tsp salt, and continue to cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add a splash of water if the pan is becoming too dark.
Lower the heat to medium and add in the spices, pine nuts, flour, sugar and tomato paste, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the stock, Worcestershire, chickpeas, and bring to the boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for about 30 mins or until the liquid has reduced and the sauce has thickened into a meaty sludge. Remove from the heat.
When ready to serve, stir through the parsley and drizzle over the lemon juice. Pile the filling into warm crusty rolls. It’s runny so it won’t quite stay there, so use the rolls to mop up the mess. It’s called a Sloppy Jo for a reason!