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Eggplant Tagine
If you haven’t cooked much eggplant in the past, I
encourage you to be courageous and try preparing dishes
such as this truly versatile and satisfying tagine. A
tagine is a North African stew traditionally cooked in
earthenware bowls with conical covers. Though this is my
vegetarian version, tagines usually feature lamb, beef,
fish, or chicken, and dried fruits such as apricots or
prunes. Such flavor combinations make for unique dinner
entreés. Serve this tagine with steamed plain couscous, or
rice pilaf, for a very satisfying vegetarian dinner, or as
an accompaniment to grilled chicken or kebabs.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
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1/4 cup olive oil
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1/3 cup finely chopped garlic
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1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
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1 large onion, coarsely chopped
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2 red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
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1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
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3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
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3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
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2 pounds firm eggplants (about 2 large; unpeeled), cut
crosswise into 2-inch slices, each slice quartered
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3/4 cup tomato paste
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1-1/2 cups water
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1 (15-1/2 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
Heat the oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over
medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots, and sauté until
fragrant and tender, about 1 minute. Add the onion and
bell peppers, and sauté until the onions are translucent
and peppers are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in 3/4
teaspoon of each black pepper and salt. Add the eggplant
pieces and cook until they begin to soften, stirring
often, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, then the
water and beans. Bring the cooking liquid to a boil over
high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until eggplant
is tender and soft, stirring occasionally, about 25
minutes. Season the eggplant tagine with more black pepper
and salt to taste.
Spoon the eggplant tagine into a large bowl and serve.
Note:
Remember, if eggplant is not cooked until it’s tender,
it will have a slightly bitter taste. For this dish, the
eggplant should become so tender it’s mushy.
When shopping, look for firm eggplants with healthy green
stem ends, as this indicates freshness.
The eggplant tagine will keep for 2 days, covered and
refrigerated. To reheat, add 1/4 cup of water to the
mixture, then cover and bring it to a simmer over medium
heat, stirring occasionally.
Recipe from
ZOV: Recipes and Memories from the Heart
By Zov Karamardian, Photographs by Pornchai
Mittongtare (Zov’s Publishing; Spring 2005;
$35.00/Hardcover; ISBN: 0-9759558-0-2 |
