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Baked vegetables with chickpeas
Serves 6-8 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 3 medium aubergines, trimmed, halved lengthways and sliced into 1cm chunks
- 3 medium courgettes, trimmed, halved lengthways and sliced into 1cm chunks
- 2 medium carrots, trimmed, halved lengthways and sliced into 1cm chunks
- 2 medium red onions, roughly chopped
- 1 green and 1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 4tbsp olive oil
- 1tbsp dried oregano
- 2tsp pul bibier or red pepper flakes
- 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, loose skins discarded
- 2tsp ground cumin
- 1tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
- crusty bread, plain rice or begendi sauce (see recipe below), to serve
Begendi sauce
- 3 medium aubergines
- juice 1/2 small lemon
- 55g butter
- 85g plain flour
- 500ml whole milk, warmed
- 120g medium cheddar, grated
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C F/Gas 7. Spread the aubergine chunks on a wide tray, sprinkle with salt and set aside for around 10 minutes. Using kitchen paper, gently squeeze the excess moisture out of the aubergines.
On a large-lipped baking sheet, toss all the vegetables, apart from the garlic, with olive oil, oregano, pul biber or red pepper flakes, and some salt and pepper. Use your hands to ensure all the vegetables are well coated - this really helps to enhance their flavour. Bake for around 40 minutes, turning the vegetables around halfway through, until charred at the edges and softened. Transfer to a deep approx. 27 x 15cm baking dish.
Stir in the garlic, chopped tomatoes, chickpeas and cumin, season with salt and pepper and combine well. Use the empty tomato tin to combine 300ml hot water with the tomato paste and mix well. Pour this into the baking dish and gently combine. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper to your taste. Bake for 30-35 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked through and browned at the edges and the sauce has thickened. Serve immediately with the bread, rice or sauce.
For the begendi sauce:
Cook the aubergines on a barbecue grill or over an open gas flame, turning every 2-3 minutes with metal tongs, until the outer skin is charred and blistered and the inner flesh is soft. Depending on the size of the aubergines, they should be ready in around 25 minutes.
Alternatively, if you prefer not to have the smoky flavour, you can prick the aubergines in 4-5 places and bake in an oven preheated to 220C/200C F/Gas 7 for around 40 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, or until they feel very soft when pressed and the skins are wrinkled.
When they are cool enough to handle, peel away the burnt skins and discard the stalks. Put the flesh into a colander to drain away any bitter juices and gently squeeze. Chop coarsely and use a fork to mash in a bowl with the lemon juice.
Melt the butter in a medium pan over a low-medium heat. Add the flour and beat well to make a roux. Slowly add the warm milk, whisking continuously to get a smooth consistency, and cook for around 3-4 minutes until the white sauce is thickened.
Add the mashed aubergines with a little salt and pepper, and simmer for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the cheese and combine for a minute, then remove from the heat and serve.
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