Eggplant dog

November 17, 2010  •  Category:

 

My best wishes on this Eid Al-Adha celebration.


I got some lovely little eggplants and stared at them for a while; I did not feel like stuffing them with meat and rice like my ancestors had been doing for hundreds of years.

That’s when I decided to make eggplant dogs, using Lebanese lamb sausages called makanek.

Makanek are small and very dark lamb sausages; they are spicy yet not hot; served piping hot as part of a mezze, with lemon quarters to squeeze on top. Middle-Eastern stores carry them either fresh (better) or frozen.

Of course, any small sausages can be substituted here.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 pound of small sausages
  • 1 1/2 pounds of smallish eggplants, peeled and salted
  • 1 onion
  • 4 large tomatoes (or a can of diced tomatoes)
  • olive oil, as needed
  • 3 garlic cloves, mashed with a dash of salt
  • 2 lemons, quartered

METHOD:

  1. Heat a little olive oil and fry the eggplants (or roast them), making sure they don’t get burned; they need to get soft. Remove the eggplants, fry the onion, add the tomatoes and chopped garlic.
  2. Place the eggplants back in the pot on top of the onion and tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the eggplants are soft. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  3. Fry the sausages and blot extra fat on paper towels. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top of the sausages.
  4. To form the eggplant dog: Split open a bun, slather one side with the tomatoes and onion. Slit the flesh of the eggplant with a sharp knife. Insert the sausage. Place the eggplant on the bun, serve.




Comments

30 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Amanda says:

    Inspired idea, Joumana – and this is how dishes evolve, isn’t it?!

  2. john@heneedsfood says:

    I love it! Those sausages sound delicious

  3. SYLVIA says:

    Joumana, although this dish is foreign to me, yet It has a charming unique character. The eggplant is flaunting its festive color and flavors of the Mediterranean. This is terrific nibble for modern parties.

  4. turkey's for life says:

    Those sausages look delicious. There isn’t anything like that in this area of Turkey – I’m feeling the need to start heading east in search of more spicy food! 🙂
    Eggplant dog – great idea – when we find some sausages!

  5. Priya says:

    Very interesting hot dog, thanks for sharing..

  6. Amy @ cookbookmaniac says:

    I have a new found love for eggplant. I use to hate them as a child but since I was introduced to a beautifully made babaghanouj by a friend I haven’t said “No” to eggplant since.

  7. MyLittleExpatKitchen says:

    Joumana, you keep surprising me with your recipes. This is so much fun!
    Magda

  8. Nuts about food says:

    I would eat those this minute. Lamb sausage is probably out of the question here, since I already have trouble finding minced lamb meat…

  9. Caffettiera says:

    This is exactly the recipe I have been looking for. Last week end we made hamburger at home with home made bread, and they were so good, gourmet good indeed, that we started to wonder whether we could make hot dogs at home that were equally good. But we were all skeptical about a home made German sausage… This looks like the perfect gourmet substitution. I will give it a try for sure next time I go to Italy, where I find great sausages and great eggplants. Thanks!

  10. Doc says:

    I love these dogs!! Awesome idea. I see many uses in the future….

  11. Damaris @Kitchen Cor says:

    This is so much better than a regular hot dog, it doesn’t even compare. Eggplants rule!

  12. anncoo says:

    This is new to me 🙂 Never thought of adding sausage and eggplants together. Sounds so delicious 🙂

  13. Mary says:

    I live in an area where lamb is readily available. I’ll be able to put this wonderful recipe to good use. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings…Mary

  14. Nadji says:

    Une vraie gourmandise. J’aime beaucoup.
    A bientôt.

  15. Lyndsey says:

    Yummy! What a good way to eat eggplant! Sometimes you just don’t want to stuff them!

  16. Chiara says:

    Awesome idea Joumana ! Sounds so tasty! Thanks for sharing,a hug

  17. Joanne says:

    I love the way you think! i don’t like hot dogs but I do LOVE sausage and this sounds like such a great way to prepare them.

  18. Faith says:

    This looks like a really tasty way to eat eggplant! I love the tomato/onion mixture you served it with too!

  19. deana says:

    Joumana, this is my idea of heaven… I must find these sausages and make some lovely bread to stuff them in… how exotic and delicious they must be!

  20. zerrin says:

    Great idea! I love those baby eggplants, they are so cute! And your eggplant dog sounds fantastic! you made me curious about that spicy lamb sausage.

  21. Claudia says:

    How I wish I saw this one month ago when baby eggplants still existed in my world. I could probably find some lamb sausage – the combination is a perfect marriage. This will stick with me until I make it…

  22. Tom @ Tall Clover says:

    Good bye Oscar Meyer and Nathan’s, Hello Makanek!
    I so want one of these now, but will have to begin my search tomorrow, when the stores are open!
    Thank you Joumana,
    Tom

  23. Adelina says:

    These looks soooo good. Never seen anything like it. I love it!

  24. Zara says:

    Omg, I adore eggplants and this idea sounds wonderful, thank you Joumana! I will try it making with some other kind of sausages available in my place:)

  25. Joan Nova says:

    Love it! Sort of like the Italian sausage + peppers sandwich.

  26. grace says:

    this makes our ballpark franks look puny and bland. good work, joumana!

  27. Conor @ HoldtheBeef says:

    I love it! Not a big fan of hotdogs but I’d be asking for seconds of these. I wonder if your ancestors will now make these for hundreds of years?

  28. joudie kalla says:

    Joumana this is such a wonderful way to make use of the eggplants. i am totally loving it! Yumm!

  29. Kathy says:

    I made this today with American hot dogs and it was a hit with all family members!

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