Twice roasted eggplant with chickpeas & red peppers
Like zucchinis, I adore eggplants; as much for the different ways to cook with them, to their amazing shape, colour & texture. I first started cooking with them when I moved to Australia in the 1980s & I always salted them before cooking in order to draw out the bitter juices. It's a hotly debated topic on whether to salt or not to salt, but I find I don't need to do this anymore & they still taste wonderful. The credit & inspiration for the filling comes from a much-loved cookbook on my shelf 'Plenty More' by Yotam Ottolenghi but I adapt it slightly by adding the cooked flesh to the chickpea mix - it really deepens the flavor. You can also freeze it for babaganoush - a delicious, creamy dip - recipe coming soon! Also, make sure that you remove the seeds from the Hungarian peppers as they can make the mixture taste bitter. I use 1 eggplant per person but it depends on their size & how hungry you are! I often roast several at a time as they freeze well & keep their shape - all ready to go from freezer to oven at any time of year - nice and easy!
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 4 TB Olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste (I use Himalayan rose salt)
- 1 onion
- 3 large cloves garlic
- 2 red Hungarian peppers - chopped and seeds removed
- 1 tsp of paprika
- 1 tsp agave syrup
- 1 tin chickpeas
- Grated pecorino for topping
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 200:C
- Step 2 Slice eggplants in half lengthways & place on baking tray lined with baking paper
- Step 3 Coat with 2 TB of the olive oil & season with salt & pepper
- Step 4 Cook for approx. 20 minutes or until a golden, toasty brown on top.
- Step 5 Allow to cool & scoop out cooked flesh with a spoon (mix with the chickpea filling or reserve for babaganoush)
- Step 6 Place the onion, garlic, 2TB olive oil, Hungarian peppers, paprika, salt & pepper to taste in a food processer & blitz to a smooth paste. Add another splash of olive oil if it looks too dry.
- Step 7 Heat a frypan and cook the pepper mixture on a medium heat for about 15 minutes then add the chickpeas, the teaspoon of agave syrup & mix well.
- Step 8 Divide the mixture into 4 portions & spoon into the eggplants.
- Step 9 Cover with grated cheese, put back into the oven & cook for approx. 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted & is golden – enjoy!