Moroccan Spicy Eggplant and Tomato Salad

EPC and I had been looking for a Moroccan cookbook for ages.  It seems that the majority of them place little focus on vegetarian options and lay heavy on the lamb.  I guess this make sense, but we were hopeful that something out of the ordinary would present itself.

One Saturday afternoon last month, as we were drooling over the Emile Henry Tagines on display at our neighbourhood kitchen supply store, my husband noticed a copy of Ghillie Basan’s Tagines and Couscous rounding out the display of crockery.  We flipped through it and in comparison to the other options we had, this cookbook had a fair selection of delicious-looking vegetarian tagines (8), couscous (3 out of 5 recipes), and side dishes (11).  We jumped at the chance and purchased it on the spot.

Tonight was the first chance I had to delve into the cookbook and I settled on two salad dishes, one with chickpeas and the other, the star of the show, a delicious roasted eggplant and tomato salad.

Sure, roasting (and then peeling) eggplant and tomatoes is kind of a pain, but if you do it early in the afternoon and leave it on the counter to cool, the salad is ready in no time. We served it with some whole wheat pita bread left over from New Year’s Eve, but serving it with the recommended crusty bread would be even better.  There is something about sopping up savoury dish with a thick hunk of bread that a triangle of pita bread just can’t compete with.

Moroccan Spicy Eggplant and Tomato Salad

2 large eggplants
4 large tomatoes
1/2 cup of olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon of harissa paste*
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, ground (I used a motar and pestle)

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Put the eggplants on a baking sheet
• Put the whole tomatoes in a casserole dish and cover with 1/4 of olive oil
• Bake both for 30 minutes and then cool on the counter
• When then have cooled (about 45 minutes), halve the eggplant and scoop out the inside and discard the skin.  Chop the eggplant into a pulp.
• Peel the tomatoes, discard the seeds and chop into a pulp
• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron pan and saute the garlic until it begins to turn colour.
• Add the tomatoes and harissa and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
• Add the eggplant, cilantro and parsley and cook for about 5 minutes until the eggplant is heated through.
• Add the lemon juice, cumin seeds, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve warm or at room temperature with the remaining olive oil drizzled on top and don’t forget the bread!

* You can pick harissa up at a speciality store or follow Ghillie Basan’s  simple recipe:

8 dried chilies, seeded and then soaked in warm water for 1 hour
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, ground
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds, ground
4 tablespoons of olive oil.

• Drain the chilies and combine in a food processor with garlic and salt until a thick paste.  Mine never got to a thick paste, but c’est la vie.
• Add the cumin, coriander, and olive oil and blend well.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for about 1 month

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Vefa’s Chickpea and Eggplant Casserole

Our friend is in town for a few weeks visiting family and friends before he is off to meet his wife in Africa.  She is doing development work there, so the two of them will make the African country of Botswana their home for the next year.  He will also be working during his time there, so it looks like a very exciting time for the both of them!  It was great  to hear about their plans over dinner and I hope they are diligent in keeping Facebook updated with photos and other tidbits (Hint, hint, nudge, nudge).

I have mentioned this couple before in a earlier post. They gave EPC and I the fabulous Vefa’s Kitchen  for a wedding gift, and since one good turn deserves another I decided it would be fitting to cook him a wonderful meal from this cookbook.

In the spirit of their  wedding gift, I will share with you an excerpt from the passage they inscribed in the front of the book: 

We feel that a loving relationship begins with, and is sustained through food.

I do not think I would come across any disagreements about the truth of this passage from my readers.  In fact, EPC and I had our first date over dinner and he did mention how he loves my cooking during his wedding speech last summer.  It makes me think  of the old cliché: “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”  I know that I certainly feel warmth and love when EPC prepares a delicious meal for me, so I guess that makes it true for women as well.  Our guest mentioned how he and his wife love cooking and eating together too.  It will be wonderful when they are reunited next month and they can experiment in the kitchen by cooking vegetarian meals with locally available ingredients. 

Once again, Vefa’a Kitchen did not disappoint.  The dish turned out great.  Everyone enjoyed it and the majority went for seconds.  Both Erin and I will be enjoying leftovers in our lunch on Monday. 

I will confess I  had a bit of trouble getting all the eggplant fried up in a timely fashion, so if you try this dish keep that in mind and give yourself enough time.  It certainly won’t matter if you assemble the casserole with room temperature eggplant.  I decided to make Vefa’s Cashew Wild Rice Pilaf as a side dish.  It  turned out fabulous and was a nice accompaniment to the eggplant and chickpeas.  With great food, old friends and conversation it was nice way to end off the weekend.

 

Vefa’s Chickpea and Eggplant Casserole

1 1/3 cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight in cold water
3/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
400 g canned diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tsp paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, plus extra for topping
salt and pepper
2-3 large eggplants, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced

• Drain and rise the chickpeas, place in a pot with enough water to cover and bring to boil.  Simmer for 30 minutes – skimming off any scum that rises to the top.  Rinse and drain the chickpeas
• Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large pot and add the onion and garlic.  Cook over low heat until softened – about 5 minutes.
• To the onions and garlic, add the canned tomatoes, allspice, paprika, oregano, chickpeas and enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour more – until the chickpeas are tender.
• While the chickpeas are cooking sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let drain in a colander for 1 hour.  Rinse drain and squeeze out the excess moisture.
• Heat the remaining oil in pan and cook the eggplant slices for about 8 minutes, turning frequently.  You will need to do this in batches.  I found that I cooked the eggplant in considerably less oil.  If I felt oil was lacking I used my olive oil mister to spritz them as they cooked.
• Preheat oven to 350°C
• Remove the eggplant and blot on paper towels.
• Arrange half the eggplant slice on the base of a casserole dish.  Spread the chickpea mixture over top and cover with the remaining eggplant.  Cover with tomato slices, sprinkle with oregano and drizzle with olive oil.
• Bake for 50 minutes at 350°C .  Serve hot or at room temperature

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