Aubergine lamb rolls with tzatziki

We were on holiday in Abu Dhabi for 10 days in late June. The hotel was lovely and the food wonderful, fresh and very high quality. After returning home, I wasn't in any mood to cook, so we lived on shuǐjiǎo (boiled dumplings) for a few days. Even though they were tasty, the wheat used to make the pastry didn't agree with me (I don't need to say more...).

When I finally put in an order for grocery, I decided to extend the holiday feel a bit and make tzatziki, something that was available at breakfast and dinner in the hotel, to go with lamb. And the resulting dish was grilled aubergine rolls stuffed with lamb and feta, drizzled with tzatziki. 

Grilled aubergine lamb rolls with tzatziki

Ingredients

makes about 12-14 rolls

for the tzatziki
½ medium cucumber, peeled
1 C whole milk yogurt
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp dill tips
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp paprika, optional
salt and pepper, to taste

for the aubergine rolls
2 medium aubergines (more ovoid than elongated)
1 tbsp olive oil, for the aubergine slices
1 tbsp coconut oil, for the lamb mince
1 medium yellow onion, diced
500g lamb mince
1 tsp cumin
1½ tsp dried marjoram
¼ tsp pink salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
½ C crumbled feta cheese

Tzatziki

Method for the tzatziki

1. Wash the cucumber and peel if desired. Cut in half lengthwise and slice thinkly.
2. In a medium nonreactive bowl, combine the sliced cucumber, yoghurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined and set aside.

Method for the aubergine rolls

1. Wash and trim the aubergines. Cut lengthwise into ¼" slices.
2. Grill the aubergine slices till soft and slightly charred, about 5 minutes on each side.
3. Transfer the grilled aubergine slices into a bowl, toss with some olive oil, and tent with foil to keep warm.
4. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in the diced onions and sauté until softened and translucent (about 6 minutes).
5. Add in the lamb mince, cumin, marjoram, salt, and pepper and sauté till lamb is cooked through and no longer pink (about 10 minutes).
6. To make the rolls, lie the aubergine slices on a plate (3-4 slices at a time). Spoon the lamb mixture onto the centre of the eggplant slices and sprinkle with a little bit of crumbled feta. Roll the aubergine slices carefully around the filling and turn the seam so that it faces down. Transfer to a clean plate to serve.
   
7. Spoon some tzatziki over the rolls and serve immediately.

I really enjoyed this dish. It makes for a light dinner but the feta and tzatziki adds some richness. There were a 2-3 rolls left over and I stored them in the fridge. They were delicious still the next day eaten cold.