My First Crack at an Ottolenghi Dish

After a recent visit to the U.K, I was introduced to the cuisine of Chef, Yotam Ottolenghi who's quite well known there for his vibrant Middle Eastern cuisine.  Actually, his food is sort of a craze right now, and any foodie worth their salt has either been to his restaurants, located in the trendiest parts of the city, or has one of his cookbooks sitting on their bookshelf.  Although I can't boast that I've checked off either thing on my culinary must list, I've been perusing his website consistently and have experimented with one of his dishes.  

In fact, Dan and I tried the Braised Eggs with Beef, Smoked Aubergine and Tomato tonight, and it totally rocked our world.  I can definitely see what the fuss is about, as there's a certain magic about Ottolenghi's food that makes is both sophisticated but not intimidating to prepare.  

As you can see above, I substituted the beef for ground chicken and it worked great.  The aubergine (aka eggplant) was fussy to prepare, as it called for cooking it on an open flame.  I went for it, since I wanted to create the dish exactly as Ottolenghi suggested, but after the high-maintenance experience, I realized I could've just grilled it or put it in the oven.  
The best part of the dish was the runny egg, which we broke into the fragrant meat and eggplant mixture.  It served as a velvety binder for all that roasted goodness, and I was grateful that I didn't overcook the eggs.  Phewww... I'd say this first Ottolenghi experience was a hit, and I now can't wait to continue with more dishes soon. 

Braised Eggs with Beef, Smoked Aubergine and Tomato recipe, courtesy of ottolenghi.co.uk