1.
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Combine
beef, butter, parsley, garlic, baharat,
cayenne, salt, flour and water and
knead until smooth and well blended.
This should take about 5 minutes.
2.
Cut the skin from the eggplants in
bands lengthwise so the eggplants
have stripes. Cut the eggplant across
the length into
1 ¼-inch slice. Take a small
handful of the meat mixture in a moistened
hand and form it onto a flat skewer
into a rough meatball about 1 ½-inches
across. Slide a piece of the eggplant
onto the skewer and snug it against
the shaped meat. Moisten your hand
and repeat with another piece of meat
followed by another piece of eggplant.
Carry on until the skewer is full.
You should begin and end with meat.
3.
Make a simple tangy tomato sauce by
mixing crushed tomatoes with the pomegranate
molasses, salt and 2 teaspoons of
baharat. The sauce should be fairly
tangy since it is this sauce that
cuts the richness of the beef. Taste
and adjust the seasoning based on
the brand of the tomatoes and pomegranate
syrup. Reserve.
4.
Grill the kebabs over a gentle fire.
If possible, the skewers should rest
on their ends rather than resting
directly on a grill grate. Don't manipulate
the skewers too often or too agressivley
until the meat has cooked and begun
to brown. (When raw, the meat more
easily falls off the skewer and into
the fire).
5.
Rotate the skewers on all sides until
the meat is browned and nearly cooked
through and the eggplant has browned
and is becoming tender. This should
take about 20 minutes.
6.
Remove the kebabs from the grill
and slide the meat from the
skewers into
an ovenproof dish. Pour the tangy
tomato sauce over the meat.
Cover
with foil and allow the kabobs to
finish cooking in the preheated
oven.
Baste the meat with the sauce periodically.
Cook until the meat is savory
and
tender and the eggplant is completely
cooked, about 25 minutes.
7.
To serve, transfer the meat and eggplant
carefully to individual plates, spoon
some of the tomato sauce over the
top, and serve at once with onion
salad and warm pita bread.
