Aubergine and Date Tagine
A nourishing slow-cooked tagine with lots of warm spices – the perfect supper for a family gathering. The cubed aubergines are cooked with chopped dates and flaked almonds and served with lots of fresh herbs. This dish is great with a side of greens, rice or cauliflower couscous.
Substitute:
- No aubergine? Try with mushrooms or courgette.
- No garlic? Use 1 tsp garlic powder instead.
- No spring onions? Swap for parsley or coriander.
- No dates? Use raisins instead.
- Not the exact spices? Use what you have on hand such as ginger powder, fennel seeds, curry powder or masala powder.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
1 Aubergine
1 Onion
2 Garlic cloves
2 Deseeded dates
1 tbsp Flaked almonds
1 tsp Ground cinnamon
1 tsp Ground coriander
1 tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Ground turmeric
a pinch of Saffron
1 Tin chopped tomatoes
1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed )
1 Lemon (zested and juiced )
4 tbsp Olive oil
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp Spring onions (chopped )
150 g Kale
Recipe:
- Chop the aubergine into 2cm cubes and finely chop the onion.
- Add the aubergine and onion to a large mixing bowl with the cinnamon, coriander, cumin and turmeric.
- Add the olive oil and toss well until the aubergine is coated with the spices. Set aside.
- Finely chop the dates and garlic.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, then add the aubergine, dates and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often to stop the spices from burning.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, saffron, lemon juice, lemon zest and chickpeas. Give it a good stir so that it's all mixed in and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes, adding a little water if it looks dry.
- While that’s cooking, bring a saucepan of water to the boil, then add your kale. Cook for a couple of minutes, then drain well.
- Add the spring onions and flaked almonds to the tagine, then mix well and season to taste.
- Serve the tagine warm with the kale, plus a side of couscous or rice, if you like.
How to store
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Leftovers
Make aubergine tacos. Fill small corn tortillas with the tagine mixture, top with fresh avocado and a jalapeño pesto. For the pesto; blend jarred jalapeños, fresh coriander, lime juice, salt and pepper until smooth.
