Aubergine & chickpea tagine with spiced cous cous
Aubergines are one of my favourite vegetables. I know this is a bit controversial as people seem to love or hate them, but my theory is that a lot of the haters have tried aubergine that is under-cooked when it’s hard, spongy and tasteless. Aubergines need to be cooked for quite a long time to soften and release their sweet slightly smoky flavour. They’re best when you roast or fry them to caramelise the outside, or roasted whole so the inside becomes soft enough to turn into a smokey dip. This tagine has an equal amount of red pepper and red onion in it, so although aubergine is in the title, the flavour is comprised of a mix of all 3 vegetables. So this recipe is ideal for someone who isn’t completely convinced about the wonders of the mighty aubergine (to reference Mr Ottolenghi), although I can’t begin to imagine why! Did I mention that I bloody love them?!
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
3 aubergine, chopped into 2cm cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
3 red onions, sliced
3 sweet peppers, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, grated (I use a Microplane)
1 dried ancho chilli, chopped (makes about 1 tbsp)
2 tsp ras el hanout spice mix
2 x 400g tinned cherry tomatoes
1.5 tsp vegetable bouillon
60g sultanas or raisins
Handful of coriander, stalks chopped, leaves reserved
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained. If you use dried, soak and cook 130g
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey or maple
1.5 tsp sea salt (if you’re using fine grain table salt reduce by half and go from there)
Cous cous
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, minced
100g cherry tomatoes, small dice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
180g cous cous
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vegetable bouillon
800ml boiling water
200g crumbled feta, optional topping
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°c
Spread the chopped aubergine on a couple of large baking trays and drizzle with the olive oil, plus 1/2 tsp sea salt, mixing well.
Roast for 25 minutes, turn then put back in the oven for 8 minutes until at least one side is browned and the pieces are soft all the way through.
Meanwhile add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a large pan or casserole, heat and cook the onion and pepper together for 15 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Mix in the ancho chilli and ras el hanout spice blend and stir, allow to warm through for a minute.
Put the aubergine pieces into the pan with the tinned tomatoes, vegetable bouillon, sultanas, coriander stalks and a full tin of water. Leave to simmer with the lid half on for 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Then add the chickpeas, red wine vinegar and honey simmer for 15 minutes without the lid..
While the tagine is cooking start to make the cous cous. First heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the chopped onion on a low heat for 15 minutes before adding the tomatoes and garlic, cook for 10 minutes.
Add 1/2 tsp ground cumin and warm for about a minute.
Turn off the heat and add the cous cous, vegetable bouillon and boiling water to the onions and tomatoes when the tagine has about 10 minutes left to cook. Put the lid on and leave the cous cous to absorb the water for 6-8 minutes. Fluff with a fork when ready.
Serve the tagine and cous cous with crumbled feta and coriander leaves.
Tip
I like to roast the aubergine pieces as I find it easier than frying them all in batches, plus it means I use a lot less oil. But you can pan fry if you prefer.
Dried ancho chilli - I bought mine from Waitrose.
Ras el hanout - I get my blend from local supplier Spice and Green, but they do mail order so it is probably worth asking if they can send to you. If not you’ll find a version stocked in most supermarkets. Ottolenghi do their own that you can order too - here or make your own using this Epicurious recipe.
I have used tinned cherry tomatoes for their sweetness and extra flavour, but tinned plum would work fine as a sub.
If you’re using dried chickpeas cook as per the instructions and then add to the sauce with the tinned tomatoes as they will be firmer and need a little more time to soften.