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| Baked aubergine with tomato, chickpea and spinach ragu with a hint of chilli, finished with grilled gruyere cheese |
This recipe is very easy to make, really tasty, and the ragu can be made ahead. When purchasing canned tomatoes and chickpeas, pick the cheapest brands available, and it will still taste just as good. If you're lucky enough to live in an area where fresh tomatoes are cheap and plentiful, or you grow your own, then substitute those for canned. I use pork lard to cook most things as it heats to a higher temperature and also adds a lovely flavor to food.
Note that the Aubergine typically takes 40-50 minutes baking to soften.
An alternative is to add chopped or shredded chicken to the ragu.
Ingredients
Serves 4
2 ripe Aubergines (egg plant), cut in half lengthwise
1 x 425gm can chickpeas in brine, drained, liquid reserved
2 x 425gm cans chopped plain tomatoes
1 brown onion, peeled and chopped finely
Pork lard for frying or olive oil
Extra olive oil for roasting the aubergine
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed or chopped finely
1-2 frozen spinach portions per person (or fresh if you have it)
150mls chicken stock (or use instant granules with water or vegetable stock)
Approximately 50gms grated gruyere cheese, or crumbled feta as an alternative
Shake of chilli flakes
Ground Himalayan pink salt and black pepper
Parsley or snipped chives to serve
Method
Turm the oven to 180 c fan. Place a baking dish big enough to hold the aubergine into the oven to heat while preparing the ragu.
Cut the aubergine lengthways and score the flesh diagonally into diamond shapes with a knife. Salt.
Drizzle a good amount of olive oil over the bottom of the hot baking dish. Place the aubergine flesh-side down into the oil. Drizzle more oil over the purple skin. Cover and place in oven to bake for about 20 minutes.
Turn stove element to medium-high. Add pork lard or oil to a large pan. Fry onion and garlic until clear and golden brown, but not burned.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, half the chickpea brine, spinach and stock. Simmer for 15-20 minutes to reduce liquid to a reasonably thick ragu.
Remove aubergine from oven and turn each piece over so the flesh is exposed. Tongs and a fish slice are useful for this. Return to the oven uncovered and bake for another 20 minutes approximately until the flesh is soft. Gently press the flesh of each aubergine to create a hollow with the back of a spoon (see video).
Turn the oven to 200c fan grill, spoon the hot ragu into the aubergine hollows, top with grated gruyere or crumbled feta. Grill until the gruyere cheese is melted and browned.
Use a fish slice to plate. Serve with chopped parsley or chives.