Stuffed eggplant with lemon tahini sauce

 

INGREDIENTS

2 middle-sized eggplants

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

1/2 bottle of precooked chickpeas (approx. 100g)

1 cup couscous

1 cup cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 bunch of parsley (fresh chopped)

Tahini sauce

1/4 cup tahini

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon harissa

salt, pepper

METHOD

1. preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Cut THE eggplants in half length-wise and scoop out the flesh with a spoon to leave a 1.5cm frame around. Set the scooped flesh aside. Season eggplant shells with salt, drizzle with olive oil, rub them with the 1 pressed garlic. Place the aubergines on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake them for about 30 minutes.

3. Place 1 cup of couscous in a bowl and pour over 1 cup of salted boiling water. Season with cumin, pepper and a pinch of chilli paprika. Don’t panic, the extra seasoning is optional. Cover with a lid and let sit for about 5 minutes, or until the couscous has soaked up the liquid. Add some butter (about 1 teaspoon) and run through with a fork to loosen it and set aside.

4. Chop the remained eggplant flesh into small cubes (about 5mm) and season it with salt and pepper. Peel the onion and finely chop it too. Peel the garlic, wash the tomatoes and cut them into halves.

5. Heat a pan on medium and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onion and 1 minced garlic and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, until the onion turns translucent. Add chopped eggplant flesh and the other clove of minced garlic, and stir fry until it gets soft and brown. Add the chickpeas and the couscous, heat the whole thing up until it gets hot and remove it from the stove. Add the halved tomatoes.

6. Fill the baked eggplant shells with the couscous mixture. Put it back in the oven for 20 minutes or until the couscous mixture turns golden brown on the top.

7. Prepare the lemon tahini sauce: in a bowl (or food processor) place tahini, minced garlic, juice of 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper to taste and a bit of water. Mix well, and add more water as needed, depending on how thick you want your sauce.

8. Set on plates, drizzle with tahini sauce and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.