PREPARATION TIME: 15 MINUTES

COOKING TIME: 35 MINUTES

SERVES: 4

EGGPLANT AND CHICKPEA TAGINE

I always get asked for more vegetarian recipes and sometimes I think, ‘Why don’t you just take a recipe that I’ve already written and omit any of the things you don’t like (such as meat or animal products) and add in the ones that you do like?’ One thing I have found with vegetarian food is that everyone expects it either to be simple and boring or so over-the-top that it is unachievable but the truth is it is not hard to do it well. This is a simple and incredibly tasty vegetarian recipe that I know you all can do at home.

SPICE MIX

1 tablespoon cumin seeds, roasted and ground

½ tablespoon coriander seeds, roasted

½ tablespoon fennel seeds, roasted

4 cardamom pods, roasted

½ tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon ground ginger

pinch sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 red onion, thinly sliced

½ lemon rind

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

1 large eggplant (aubergine), cut into chunks

2 x 400 g (14 oz) tins crushed tomatoes

1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar

½ tablespoon brown sugar

400 g (14 oz) tin chickpeas

105 g (3½ oz/½ cup) prunes, pitted

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) vegetable stock (see note)

TO SERVE

naan bread, warmed

390 g (13¾ oz/1½ cups) yoghurt

¼ cup coriander (cilantro), torn

¼ cup mint, leaves only, torn

lemon wedge

In a large saucepan or tagine (if you have one), heat the olive oil over a medium–high heat and cook the onion and garlic without colouring. To this, add the spice mix and cook the spices until they are beautiful and fragrant.

Add the lemon rind, cinnamon stick and bay leaf, along with the eggplant. Stir to coat the eggplant with the spice mix. Pour over the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and stir well, ensuring all the spice mix is picked up off the base of the pan.

Add the chickpeas and prunes and stir. If more liquid is required, pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 20–25 minutes or until the eggplant is tender but still holding its shape.

Serve with the breads and yoghurt and garnish with coriander leaves, mint and wedges of lemon. Enjoy this healthy, hearty treat.

NOTES

∎   You don’t need a tagine to cook this, that’s just a name to make it sound fancy and to give you a feel for the origins of the dish.

∎   You may not have to use all the vegetable stock, you just want enough to thin out the tinned tomatoes as the vegetables will release a fair amount of water.