Moroccan Lamb and Lentil Stew with Minted Yogurt

"Cumin, cinnamon, and tart-sweet prunes give this exotic stew North African flavor. Depending upon how much lamb you include, you can make either a lentil stew with lamb or a lamb stew with lentils. The eggplant dissolves into a puree that naps the lentils and thickens the sauce. Serve the stew on its own or accompanied by couscous or rice."


Ready.. set...
ingredients list and directions are at the end of the post
I thought I was silly for keeping chopsticks around, but they turn out to be very handy for mixing things such as the oil in fresh jar of peanut butter-- or this: yogurt and mint for the stew. The chopstick allows you to whisk in ingredients easily I think especially when you have a small container and not a lot of product to blend. Here I only have 1/2 cup of yogurt and a generous handful of mint.
After the cooking process: the eggplant with cinnamon sprinkled on top.
Everything mixed together. This dish is not very photogenic!...
..not even with natural sunlight on my dish. It is very tasty however and at dinner I served it over couscous with the mint yogurt on the side. Now for the recipe...
Copied without permission from Lorna Sass' Pressure Perfect.

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
2 cups water
1 cup dried brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
12 pitted prunes*
1 to 2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to taste
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
*check them for pits!
For the minted yogurt:
1/2 cup plain yogurt [you will want more!]
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint or 1 teaspoon dried mint.(you can empty a teabag)[her advice]

Heat oil in a 6-quart or larger pressure cooker. Add the onions and cumin seeds and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently for 1 minute. Stir in the water, lentils, prunes, and lamb. Set the eggplant on top. Sprinkle with the salt and cinnamon.
Lock the lid in place. Over high heat bring to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to come down naturally, about 10 minutes. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow steam to escape. Skim off any fat that rises to the top. Stir well to blend in the eggplant. Add more cinnamon and salt, if needed. Stir in the lemon zest and enough of the lemon juice to balance the sweetness of the prunes.
To prepare the Minted Yogurt, stir the yogurt and mint together. Serve each portion of stew with a generous dollop of minted yogurt on top. [blend the yogurt and mint together ahead of time so flavors have time to mix]