Aubergine and Chickpea Stew

This is the first recipe I have tried from the ‘Cook for Syria’ recipe book. The book is a collection of recipes from Syria, and so much more. It tells about the culture of food and sharing in Syria, builds links with people using the #CookForSyria @CookForSyria tags, and raising money for Unicef to help children affected by fighting in their beautiful country.

I served it to a visitor, and we shared a lot of stories about the ethics and politics of food. I had to make a few adaptions to fit my ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 aubergines
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp za’atar (I used the mystery mixed Italian herbs, but za’atar is available from Seasoned Pioneers. )
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 1 red onion
• 4 chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 can chickpeas
• 3 tsp apple cider vinegar
• Chopped coriander to serve
• Coconut vegan yoghurt, or grated creamed coconut

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 200C
• Chop the aubergine into chunks. I split them length-ways into quarters and then slice thickly.
• Put the aubergines into a roasting tin with the spices and 4 cloves of garlic, coat with olive oil and roast for 25 to 30 minutes
• Finely chop the red onion and cook it slowly in olive oil, for around 10 minutes
• Add 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, along with the tomatoes, tomato puree and tinned tomatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes
• Add the aubergine, chickpeas, salt, apple cider vinegar and cook until the chickpeas are hot.
• Serve with a garnish of coriander leaves and coconut yoghurt.

I served this with rice, and we were very full afterwards