Aubergine and Chickpea Tagine

This is veritably the stew of the spring and summer months: sweet apricots, tender “meaty” roasted aubergine, and coveted chickpeas to provide a bit of bite in a slightly smoky tomato sauce made that bit more seductive, with a further special, oh-so-beautiful blend of spices… Are you salivating too?

Servings: 4

Preparation Time - 10 minutes
Cooking Time -40 minutes

Ingredients

2 tbsp Organic Kitchen extra virgin olive oil
2 aubergines, sliced
1 red onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
½ tsp Just Natural Organic ground ginger
½ tsp Just Natural Organic ground cinnamon
½ tsp Just Natural Organic paprika
1 tsp Just Natural Organic ground cumin
1.5 tbsp harissa
50g Just Natural Organic unsulphured apricots
400g Organic Kitchen passata
150ml water, or stock of choice
1 x 400g tin of Organic Kitchen chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
2 tbsp Organic Kitchen Sicilian lemon juice
Salt to taste
Just Natural Organic couscous (freshly made), to serve
Just Natural Organic flaked almonds, to serve
Dairy-free yogurt of choice, to serve
Fresh mint, to serve

How to Make it

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
Place aubergine on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large pan over a medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and – once hot – add the onion and garlic. Cook for between 3 and 5 minutes.
Add the red pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add the ginger through to the water/stock and stir well to combine. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, and add the chickpeas and lemon juice.
Add the roasted aubergine to the pan or pot once it’s had 20 minutes in the oven. (You can leave the remainder of the ingredients simmering for as long as the aubergine roasts.)
Allow to simmer all together for a further 10 minutes.
Serve with couscous, flaked almonds, dairy-free yogurt (and even a kick of fresh mint – yum!).