I’ve been dreaming of making this recipe for a long time now. I think the idea for this bake first came into my head a few months ago, I was thinking about different moroccan flavours, and ways I could combine them together into something that was delicious, but also slightly different from what you would expect from a Moroccan dish. Although the layers of this dish are inspired by my love of three classics – tagine, hummus and falafel, I think the overall recipe creates something slightly more modern and different, as well as creating a weeknight meal with more of an exciting twist. I love the rich tastes of classic ‘comfort’ foods, so I decided to make this recipe based on those filling wintertime recipes, often baked in a dish, such as my favourites -lasagne, shepherds pie, or pasta bake. So with all of this inspiration in my head, I created this Moroccan Chickpea Bake. I wish I could have invented a much more interesting title for this, but I think all my creativity got sucked into the recipe! So for now, this dish will have to live with a less inspiring title. After all, the most important element of this recipe is the taste, and this dish is a personal favourite of mine, so I really hope it’s something you enjoy!

moroccan chickpea bake

serves about 4

ingredients

for the aubergine layer:

2 aubergines (eggplant) (roughly 600g)

3 tbsp olive oil

some salt and pepper

for the tagine layer:

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion (100g)

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 cm piece fresh root ginger, grated

1/2 cup (85g) chickpeas (1/2 of a standard 400g drained tin)

1 400g tin chopped tomatoes (1 1/2 cups worth)

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp rose harissa paste

1 tsp vegetable stock powder – I used bouillon

1/4 cup (20g) chopped dried apricots

for the hummus layer:

1/2 cup (85g) chickpeas (1/2 of a standard 400g drained tin)

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp tahini

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp water

1 tbsp chopped dried apricots

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp salt

for the chickpea layer:

1 400g tin chickpeas, drained (1 cups worth)

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp rose harissa paste

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

method

HEAT OVEN TO 215 C / 419 F

1. Firstly chop your aubergines. Remove the ends, and then slice them fairly slim lengthways into long slices. Then drizzle the olive oil, some salt and pepper onto the tray, and lay the aubergine slices on top. Then flip each slice of the aubergine, so that they’re evenly covered in oil. When this is done, add the aubergines into the oven to cook for about 10-12 minutes, until golden and soft. When cooked, remove from the oven and set them aside until later.

2. Now, make the tagine. Finely slice your onion and add it into a frying pan on a medium-high heat with the olive oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes, then add in the ginger and garlic and fry for 2 more minutes, until golden. Then, add in your tinned tomatoes, chickpeas, chilli, paprika, harissa, vegetable stock and apricots. Stir together and continue for for about 5-6 minutes to heat through. Then, set aside whilst you make the hummus and chickpea layers.

3. Now make the chickpea mixture by adding the chickpeas, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, harissa, oil and salt into a food processor. Blitz quickly to chop the chickpeas roughly into small pieces. Then, pour the mixture from the food processor and into a bowl to set aside.

4. Then, make the hummus. Add the lemon, tahini, oil, water, garlic, apricots, cumin, coriander, paprika and salt into your food processor, and blend quickly on a low setting to mix together. Then, add in the chickpeas and blend again until a fairly smooth hummus consistency has formed. When this is done, also set aside.

6. Now, assemble the bake. Lay enough slices of aubergine along the base of a small-medium heatproof dish to cover it. Then, pour the entire tagine mixture on top. Scatter half of the chickpea mixture on top of the tagine layer, followed by the remaining aubergine slices to cover. Next, pour the hummus on top of the layers, and spread evenly until it covers the dish. Lastly, scatter the remaining half of the chickpea mixture on top of the bake.

7. Add the bake into the oven to cook for about 20-25 minutes until heated through, and the chickpea topping is golden. When the bake has cooked, remove from the oven and serve with what else you like – such as salad or steamed vegetables.

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