Ups and downs

Touring is very confusing. One bad show can make the previous 20 look just as bad, and cause some serious insecurity and frustration.
I came to realize that I lack some sort of continuity, my up-until-recently very adament belief that this nomadic lifestyle is the thing for me, started to crack.
I grew tired of not being able to start anything that requiers actual thorough work and persistence, and as this tour is coming to an end, I'm thinking more and more about settling, and after a very long time justify the "filmmaker" part of my short biography.
I can't say anything for sure at the moment, since I'm still on tour, and I may just be in the bottom of this constant mood loop, however the excitment that follows these thoughts about change makes me think this is real.

And now, back to food:


Siniyah

Ingredients

500g beef/lamb.
4 onions.
2 tomatoes, sliced.*
3 eggplants.*
2 eggs.*
parsley, chopped.
3 garlic cloves, crushed.
A few leaves of mint, chopped.
3 cardamom seeds.
1/2 tsp. cinnamon.
1/2 tsp. cumin.
sumac.
1/2 tbs. sweet paprika.
dry chili.
3/4 cup tahini.
1 lemon.
Oil.

Preparation:

- Halve the eggplants horizontaly, then cut into thin slices.
- Whisk the eggs, dip in the eggplants, and fry on both sides until brown and soft. Set aside.
- Chop two of the onions finely. In a pan, heat oil, chili and cardamom. Add in the onions.
- Add paprika, and sautee until very soft, adding a little hot water every 30 seconds or so, to prevent the onions from burning.
- In a large bowl, mix the meat, mint, garlic, fried onions and most of the parsely.
- Form small balls, and fry (best to use the same pan as the onions) until brown on both sides (its okay if its not fully cooked inside).

- Prepare the tahini: mix the tahini and lemon juice, add water, very little at a time, until fully incorptrated and quite thin.
- Preheat oven to 200c.
- Cut the other two onions into half rings, and sautee until very brown.
- Arrange in layers: First the fried eggplant, then tomato, then meatballs, then the fried onions and eventually the tahini.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, sprinkle parsley and sumac, and serve.**

* The classic basic Siniyah is just meat and tahini, the eggplants and tomato make it richer and better, but are not necessary.
**You can do all stages in advance and bake right before you eat.