My friend Kristin brought me a basket of eggplants and tomatoes from her garden. They looked so good, and I wanted to make something special, so I thought about finally getting around to making some Ras el Hanout.  I have had the recipe for years and never had gotten around to making it.  Ras el Hanout means Head of the Shop in Arabic because it is “the best” in the shop.  There is no real recipe per se, because the mix can have a variety of spices and in the proportions that the maker decides.  The following is my take on it.  The result was delicious paired with eggplant.  A lamb stew with Ras el Hanout is also very tasty.

Ingredients for Ras el Hanout:

1. 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2. 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3. 2 inch piece of cinnamon
4. 2 teaspoons peppercorns
5. 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6. 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
7. 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
8. 2 teaspoons ground ginger
9. 2 bay leaves, crumbled
10. 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
11. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
12. 1 teaspoon whole allspice
13. 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder.

Moroccan Eggplant Recipe

Ingredients:

1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
2. 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
3. 2 cloves garlic, chopped
4. 2 pounds eggplant, cut up
5. 3 medium tomatoes, cut up
6. 1 tablespoon Ras el Hanout
7. 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Pour the olive oil into a heavy skillet and heat to medium high.
2. Add onions and cook for about 6-8 minutes until they are translucent but not brown.
3. Add garlic and stir.  Cook for another minute or two.
4. Add the eggplant and stir into the oil-onion-garlic mixture.
5. Add the Ras el Hanout and stir to coat the vegetables.
6. Add the tomatoes.
7. Cook for 20 minutes or so over low to medium high heat.