This recipe is inspired by Sammi Tamimi and Tara Wigley’s Book, ‘Falastin‘.
This recipe serves 4 people.
Ingredients
extra virgin olive oil
5 aubergines, sliced into 1cm thick
salt
pepper
2 brown onions, finely chopped
6-8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp tomato purée
2 green peppers, roughly chopped
400g chopped tomatoes
400g chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 ½ tsp sugar
2 large plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Method
– Preheat the oven to 220°C / 200°C with a fan.
– Add the aubergine to a large mixing bowl. Add ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and drizzle 40ml of olive oil on top. Mix well, making sure that the aubergine is thoroughly coated.
– Place the aubergine on a lined baking tray and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
– Meanwhile, add 2 tbsp of oil to a hot pan. Add the onions and cook on low heat for 7-8 minutes until lightly golden.
– Add the garlic, chilli powder, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, and tomato purée. Mix well and cook for 1 minute.
– Add the chopped tomatoes, green peppers, chickpeas, sugar, 200ml water, 1 ½ tsp salt, and a good pinch of pepper. Mix well, cover, and cook 18-20 minutes. Stir in the coriander and remove from the heat.
– Remove the aubergine from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C / 180°C with a fan.
– To assemble the dish, add a layer of aubergine to the base of a large baking dish. Then, add a layer of sliced tomatoes. Pour over the chickpea and pepper mix. Place the remaining aubergine and sliced tomatoes on top, and drizzle with olive oil. Cover in tin foil and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
– Remove the tinfoil and cook for another 20 minutes.
– Once cooked, remove the bake from the oven and let it sit for 20 minutes before it’s time to tuck in!