An ambitious farming couple succeeded in convincing Ben-Gurion to establish an agricultural moshav in a place where a spade had never been used – in the barren land of the Arava. 66 years later, their son, who has been working in the fields since age two and boasts green fingers from so much work, commands an empire of 700 dunams of peppers, tomatoes, and various vegetables that could feed the entire country.

In the new episode of “Man/Land,” Hedai Offaim and Shlomi Shaban make a pilgrimage to the Mecca of the Israeli agricultural world, Moshav Ein Yahav, to hear the legendary tale that actually happened, to prepare cutlets from the harvest for lovers of roasted eggplants, and to fill the field with the sounds of the song Derech HaKurkar which seems to have been inspired by the founding story of the farm.

Meat and Eggplant Patties in Matbucha

Shopping List:

For the patties:

• 2 fresh, firm eggplants
• 1 kg ground beef mixed with lamb
• 1 bunch parsley
• 12 mint stems
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 red onion
• ½ cup semolina
• Salt and ground black pepper
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil for frying

For the matbucha:

• 4 red and orange peppers
• 2 dark green peppers
• 2 hot green peppers
• 5 ripe tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 5-6 fresh pitas for serving

Preparation:

Begin by charring the vegetables over the stovetop flame or charcoal grill: char the eggplants for the patties, then also the peppers, tomatoes, and onion for the matbucha. Remove from flame to a wide bowl and cover to ease peeling.

For the patties: Peel the eggplants and transfer their flesh to a mixing bowl. Add the meat; finely chop the parsley, mint leaves, garlic, and onion and add. Add the semolina, season with salt and pepper, and mix together to get a uniform mixture. Form slightly flattened patties about 6 cm in diameter.

Heat the olive oil over high flame in a wide pot and fry the patties on both sides until they get a slightly charred color. Remove from heat after the initial searing even though the patty isn’t completely cooked yet.

For the matbucha: Peel the peppers and remove stems and seeds. Slice into thin strips. Also peel the onion and cut it into thin slices. Finally, slice the tomatoes without peeling. Transfer everything to the pot where the patties were fried and also add the chopped garlic. Season with salt and pepper and let cook and mix slightly. If needed, add more olive oil. Season with lemon juice, taste, and adjust seasoning.

Place the fried patties in the matbucha in the pot and let cook for about 15 more minutes. Serve in fresh pita, with or without tahini.