Harissa roasted aubergine and chickpeas
This is a super delicious and easy to make bung it in the oven in one tray dish. Minimal fuss and minimal washing up. I reckon it took me 10 minutes of hands on time and then about 35 minutes in the oven - dinner for four people in 45 minutes! It’s also definitely on the healthier side, lots of veggies and pulses and not too much oil.
I find the spiciness and flavour of harissa paste varies massively. For this recipe I used the Le Phare du Cap Bon brand from Tunisia which comes in a tin, you can get it from specialist Middle Eastern or Asian grocery shops. It’s more like a tomato paste texture than the oilier rose harissa you get in the supermarket and it’s generally much spicier too. This will work with rose harissa as well you just might want to add a bit more.
This recipe would be great with courgettes too -they would take a bit less time to cook and you could definitely substitute dill for the mint or parsley. I love dill with these flavours but I didn’t have any when I was making this. Also feel free to throw in some cherry tomatoes and/or some black olives at the same time as the chickpeas.
I served this by itself but it would be great with rice or a hunk of bread to mop up the sauce
Serves 4 as a main or 8 as a side dish
2 large aubergines
2 onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tins chickpeas or 1 large jar chickpeas, drained
1 teaspoon harissa paste (I like the Le Phare du Cap Bon brand which comes in a tin, it is spicy – if you are using another brand you may want to add a bit more)
1 lemon (zest only)
A small bunch of mint (leaves picked off the stems and roughly chopped)
A small bunch of flat leaf parsley (larger set and roughly chopped)
300ml thick natural yoghurt or Greek yoghurt
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
Cut the aubergine into 2-3cm cubes. Peel the onions, trim the tops and bottoms, and cut in half through the root and then cut into chunky wedges.
Put the aubergine and onions into a large baking tray, drizzle over the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss everything together. Put in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the aubergine and onions are soft and starting to brown.
Take the tray out of the oven and add the chopped tomatoes, harissa paste and drained chickpeas with a generous seasoning of salt. Stir to mix everything together. Put it back in the oven for 10 minutes until the chickpeas and tomatoes are hot. You should see the tomatoes bubbling.
Remove from the oven, stir through the chopped mint and parsley and sprinkle over the lemon zest. Serve hot or warm with a dollop of yoghurt.
