Although saying that, I do like to use dried chickpeas, so tend to soak mine the night before...But that said...this dish is super tasty and even die-hard meat-eaters should like it!!
What you need to feed 2 hungry people:
* 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 red onion, chopped
* 2 cloves of garlic
* 1 aubergine, diced
* 1 large courgette, in chunks
* 1 pepper, red, orange or yellow, chopped
* 1 400g tin tomatoes, the cherry ones are fab in this, but chopped will be fine too
* 1 tsp sugar
* 3/4 tsp dried oregano
* 3/4 tsp dried cumin
* salt and pepper to season
* 1 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed or 135g (dried weight) dried chickpeas
* fresh basil, 1 packet, torn or chopped
What to do:
If you are using dried chickpeas...put them to soak them the night before, drain and rinse them...and then you will need to cook them in boiling water for about one and a half hours, until tender when bitten...you want a slight bite to them...
In a large pan, heat the olive oil and soften the onions, about 5-8 minutes, add the garlic and gently cook for another 5 minutes...
...add the aubergine and cook on low heat for about 8 minutes...
...add in the pepper...and cook for another 8 minutes...
...add the courgette and guess what another 8 minutes or so...
...while the veggies are cooking mix the tomatoes, sugar, cumin together...
...stir in the tomato mix...
...season and add the oregano...
...bring to the boil, then turn really low, pop the lid on and simmer slowly for about 20 minutes...stir every now and again...
...the chickpeas need to be heated through thoroughly before you eat, so what I tend to do is tip them in, pop the lid back on and leave it until about 20mins before you are going to eat...
...if you are eating straight away, add the chickpeas and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the chickpeas are heated...however, the flavours are much better if you can let it stand with the chickpeas in for a while...
...finally add in the fresh basil, stir through...
...check for seasoning...
...and serve...
we like ours with buttered couscous and homemade focaccia...but any fresh bread will do to mop up the juices...
What a simple dish...it's almost a ratatouille with added chickpeas, and in fact I do make the veggie base to go with grilled meats or pasta...it's a tasty, versatile one-pot dinner...enjoy...
Looks good Sara!
ReplyDeletewas good...will make next time you guys come to us...xx
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