Marrakesh eggplant & tomato

From Cookies Crumbles Recipes

Server 8

Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes

1kg eggplant cut into 1cm thick slices

125 ml (1/2 cup) extra virgin olive oil

95 grams (1/3 cup) tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

250ml (1 cup) verjuice or dry white wine

1 red onion finely chopped

4 cloves garlic crushed

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

200 grams grape tomatoes

250 grams trussed cherry tomatoes cut into small bunched

40 grams pine nuts or almond slivers toasted

1/2 cup Greek yoghurt

1. Place eggplant in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper, drizzle with a 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the tomato paste and toss with hands until all the eggplant is covered.
2. Place the saffron and verjuice in a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat a heavy based pan to a medium heat add a little oil and cook the eggplant in a single layer for 4 minutes on each side. It might take 3 or 4 batches so add more oil if needed. Set the cooked eggplant aside on a flat disk and keep warm.
4. Heat the remaining oil in a heavy based fry pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, some salt and pepper and cook until the onion is soft (about 5 minutes) stir frequently.
5. Add the cumin and paprika and cook for a further minute.
6. Add the grape tomatoes and coat in the onion mixture.
7. Add trussed tomato , cover the pan and cook for 8 minutes until the tomatoes have softened. Add the verjuice mixture to the pan, bring to a simmer.
8. Spoon the tomato mixture over the warm eggplant, spoon over the yogurt and sprinkle with toasted nuts.