Tian de légumes et d'agneau gratiné

Ingredients:

• eggplant (aubergine), thinly sliced
• zucchini (courgette), thinly sliced
• leek (poireau), thinly sliced
• sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• finely minced garlic (or confit d'ail)
• fresh sprigs of thyme
• freshly grated parmesan cheese (not pre-grated)
• cashews, finely chopped (they are not nuts, by the way), enough to line each serving ramekin
• spinach leaves
• optional: lean ground lamb (agneau haché), not a lot compared to the spinach and other vegetables
• ground nutmeg
• fresh mint leaf (1-2), finely chopped
• butter
• pesto sauce
• grilled red peppers (poivrons rouges grillés)

Instructions:

• cook the ground lamb in frying pan until loose
• steam or pan-fry the sliced vegetables
• mix in the minced garlic, pinch of nutmeg, and the chopped mint leaf
• steam or blanche the spinach leaves; drain very well (squeeze out water with paper towels)
• mix the spinach with the ground lamb, add the sun-dried tomatoes
• melt some butter, and mix in the chopped cashews until you have a thick pasty substance that you can line ramekins
• line ramekins with the cashew mix, press
• line the cashew covered inside of the ramekins with layers of the sliced vegetables
• stuff the ramekins tightly with spinach/lamb mix
• bake in 175 °C oven for 30 minutes (350 °F)
• towards the end of the baking, cover each ramekin with grated cheese, and broil until cheese is melted and golden brown
• empty one ramekin upside down on each dinner plate
• stick sprig of fresh thyme in each
• put generous dab of pesto around each
• put slices of grilled red pepper around each. [Recipe by Frank Dörenberg]