Eggplant and Lamb Stew

I broke one of my rules-- I went shopping specifically for the ingredients of this Eggplant and Lamb Stew recipe.  I had practically nothing in my fridge (not even eggplant- gasp!) so everything was purchased specifically for this recipe.  I just couldn't resist.

I thought it would be a lot like my Moroccan Chicken with Eggplant Stew blog entry but it's actually quite different.  It's a little saucier, a little sweeter.  Both are definitely worth trying and have different elements fighting for attention.  In this dish it's the tomato paste, loose eggplant seeds and lamb that really make it special.  While the Moroccan recipe has more dried herbs to add flavor, this one uses allspice really well.  Even my boyfriend, who dislikes allspice in desserts, loved this soup.  And I was very happy to find a recipe that could put to use all the allspice in my cupboard.

My suggestions: like other readers on the allrecipes site, I thought the vegetables were put in too early.  I love having bell peppers and onion in soup, but they were cooked so long they couldn't hold their form.  Yet, I like how cooked the eggplant and tomato got, to achieve the consistency, texture and sweetness of the soup.  Next time I will brown the lamb for twice the time as necessary, toss in the garlic, eggplant, tomato and tomato paste, cook for 30-35 minutes, toss in the rest of the veggies, and cook additional 30-35 minutes.  I didn't think it was necessary to cook it for as long as the recipe stated.

Delicious.  Very comforting.