Roasted Eggplant And Chickpea Soup Food

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together eggplant, onion, garlic, and 4 teaspoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer in a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet, leaving a wide strip of empty space at one end. In bowl, toss chickpeas with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Transfer to empty space on sheet. Roast until eggplant is golden and cooked through and chickpeas are slightly crunchy, about 35 minutes.
• Set chickpeas aside. Peel garlic and add to a medium pot, along with eggplant, onion, and broth. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high. With a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon, mash some eggplant until soup is thick and chunky. Stir in chickpeas and season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, top with fresh oregano and plain yogurt, if desired.

MOROCCAN CHICKPEA AND EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) STEW

Steps:

• Cut off the ends of the eggplant, than chop into ¾" cubes. I salted an eggplant once just for fun, but with fresh eggplant just don't find it necessary!
• Chop the onion roughly.
• Mince the garlic.
• Coat a large deep-sided frypan with olive oil. and heat over a medium heat.
• Add the minced garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin and cinnamon. Stir well to coat evenly. Cook until the onions have softened (approx. 4-5 minutes).
• Add the eggplant, tomatoes and chickpeas, along with the stock. Simmer over medium-low heat, covered, for fifteen-twenty minutes (until the eggplant is tender).
• Uncover and stir. If the stew looks very soupy, let the liquid bubble away for a few more minutes.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve over rice / pasta / cous cous / even toast would be yummy.
• The qty of spice listed make it moderately hot - good for a taste explosion for someone not used to spices. I normally double them as I like things really spicy!

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 AND CHICKPEAS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the tomato sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a heavy skillet or wide saucepan over medium heat, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until it smells fragrant, about 30 seconds, and add the tomatoes, honey, salt to taste and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes have cooked down and the sauce is fragrant, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Meanwhile, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush the boil with olive oil. Place the eggplant slices on the baking sheet, salt lightly and brush with olive oil. Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes, or until eggplant is lightly browned and soft all the way through. Remove from the heat. Fold the aluminum foil over and crimp the edges together so that the eggplant steams as it cools. Do this in batches if you need more than one baking sheet. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
• Oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin. Place the chickpeas in the baking dish and stir in 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Layer the eggplant over the chickpeas and top with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle the feta over the top and drizzle on any remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with the oregano and cover tightly with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes, until the dish is bubbling.

ROASTED EGGPLANT CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place eggplant, garlic cloves, chickpeas, tomatoes and onion into a large bowl. Coat with olive oil, cumin, nutmeg and salt. Mix thoroughly so that the vegetables are covered.
• Spread the coated vegetables onto the baking sheet and place in oven. Roast for thirty minutes, mixing every 10 minutes to prevent sticking and burning.
• Remove vegetables and place in pot, preferably a heavy, cast iron pot.
• Add vegetable stock, tahini, and lemon juice. Simmer on low-medium for 20 minutes. Stir occassionaly.
• If using an immersion hand blender, add 1/4 cup of milk and blend. Add milk 1 tbsp at a time, until the soup reaches the desired consistency. If using a regular blender, place the vegetables in the blender, doing it in batches if necessary. Add 1/4 cup of milk, slowly adding milk 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency is reached. Remember to cover the hole on the blender with a towel and not the cap in order to let steam escape and prevent the soup from exploding.
• Serve hot with freshly grated aged white cheddar cheese or goat cheese and fresh french bread.

GRILLED EGGPLANT CHICKPEA WRAPS

Steps:

• Heat the grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Grate the garlic into a medium bowl and pour the lemon juice over. Let stand about 2 minutes. Whisk in the yogurt, 2 tablespoons water and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Put the chickpeas in a large bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of the yogurt sauce and set aside.
• Brush the eggplant slices generously with olive oil on one side and season with salt. Grill oiled-side down until charred, rotating once to char more of the surface, 2 minutes total. Brush oil on the top, sprinkle with salt, flip, and grill until charred and very tender, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a cutting board, chop roughly, and then stir gently into the chickpea mixture. Taste the mixture and season with salt, if needed.
• To make the wraps, spread 2 tablespoons of the yogurt sauce on one of the tortillas. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the oregano. Form about 1 scant cup of the chickpea mixture into a log across the wrap about 3 inches from the bottom, leaving a 1-inch border on each side. Top with some chopped tomatoes and a little salt, then add some cucumber and lettuce. Fold the sides of the wrap over the ends of the chickpea mixture, then roll up tightly from the bottom. Repeat for the remaining tortillas and filling. Cut each in half on the bias, and serve.