Roasted Eggplant With Spiced Chickpeas Recipes

ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH SPICED CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil two baking sheets (or use nonstick). Combine the 1/4 cup olive oil and the peanut oil. Brush eggplant slices on both sides with the mixture, then place on pans. Roast, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, spices and molasses, and bring to a simmer. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste. (The amount of sugar will depend on the tomatoes' sweetness; there should be a hint of sweetness in the mixture.) Simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook until thick, 5 to 10 minutes more. Stir in half the pine nuts and set aside.
• To serve, place a slice of eggplant on a platter and spoon tomato-chickpea mixture onto the wide end of the slice. Fold the narrower end of the slice over to cover the filling and place a mint leaf on top. Repeat with remaining slices and garnish with remaining pine nuts. Serve cold or at room temperature, topping each piece with a dollop of yogurt, if using.

ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH SPICED CHICKPEAS AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cut eggplant into 3/4" chunks. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat. Cook in oven until soft, for about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, finely chop onion and smash and peel garlic cloves, leaving them whole. Fry the onion in olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until soft and golden, about 15 minutes. And the garlic and cook until starting to soften. Add the tomatoes, then drain and add the chickpeas. Add the sugar, spice blend, and salt. Fill the empty tomato can with water and add that to the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
• Add the roasted eggplant and cook for 10 more minutes, adding more water if the mixture looks dry. Taste for salt and pepper.
• Cool to room temperature, or refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving, and drizzle with olive oil and garnish with cilantro leaves as a final step.