Middle eastern inspired butterbean stuffed eggplant
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants
½ cup water
1 large brown onion – diced
Olive oil for cooking
4 garlic cloves – finely diced
3 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1 can butter beans – drained and rinsed
1 can cherry tomatoes
200g halloumi
1 teaspoon ras El hanout
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp toasted pistachios or pumpkin seeds
¼ cup dill leaves
¼ cup mint leaves
Yoghurt dressing:
½ cup Greek yoghurt
½ teaspoon of cumin - optional
Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 fan bake. Place the two eggplants into a lined baking dish. Add the water. Cover with foil and bake for 55 minutes.
Mix the yoghurt, cumin and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Set aside.
While the eggplant is cooking, ready a large fry pan on a medium/low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the onion. Fry for 5 minutes until soft. Add a good pinch of salt to the pan and the garlic. Stir well then add the cumin, paprika and mixed spice. Fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the drained butter beans and the canned cherry tomatoes, add some water to the can roughly ¼ high, swirl it around and pour this into the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.
By this point, the eggplant should be cooked. Remove the foil, carefully pour out any excess liquid from the dish. Using a sharp slice down the centre of the eggplant and open it up slightly. Gently pour the bean mix onto the centre of the eggplant. Put the dish back in the oven for 10 minutes.
Slice the halloumi into 6 pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with Ras El honout on both sides. In a non-stick pan, fry the halloumi with 1 tablespoon of oil on both sides until crispy.
To serve, dot the yoghurt dressing over the eggplant (reserving some in a ramekin), add the chopped pistachios, pomegranate seeds and herbs.
Place the cooked halloumi on the side of the dish and enjoy.
