Planet Veggie

Today wasn’t casserole weather but last week I’d bought an aubergine to make this recipe with and as it was going a bit manky, it needed using up.

Like a few of my recent recipes, this is also from Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian.

The recipe in the book said it serves 4, so I halved it, but that still served 4, so that’s the quantities I’m going to use here. It also contained cinnamon and raisins, which I left out, but I’ll add them here in case you want to use them.

It may be a casserole, but it’s not one you need to save for a cold winter’s night; it’ll be fine at any time.

Moroccan chickpea and aubergine casserole (serves 4)

1 onion, chopped
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1 aubergine, cut into chunky pieces
1 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
65g raisins
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
425ml water or vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fry the chopped onions in the oil in a large saucepan, covered, for 10 minutes or until tender but not browned.

Stir in the cumin, coriander and cinnamon; cook for a few seconds, then stir in the aubergines, chickpeas, raisins, tomatoes and water or stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer, half covered, for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the mixture has thickened.

Season with salt and pepper, and serve with rice or couscous.