This recipe combines a strong mediterranean feel with black-eyed beans to create a delicious and nutritious wholesome meal without one ounce of meat in sight.
Serves: 2
Cost per person: 4.50 zl (90 UK pence, 23 Czech Kroner)
What shall we use in this, eh?
- one large aubergine
- 1 tomato skinned and cut into cubes
- 1 handful of dried black-eyed beans, soaked overnight and then cooked in boiling water for an hour
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 cloves of garlic sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small chilli finely chopped (not too much - maybe even half a chilli will be enough)
- 2 inches cinnamon
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- a few liberal glugs of extra virgin olive oil
- around half a pack of feta (or similar cheese) cut into small cubes
Let's get cracking!
1. Boil up the beans in advance. Meanwhile, heat up the oven to 180.
2. Cut the aubergine in half lengthways. Score round the edge leaving a 1-2 cm margin. Be careful not to cut through the skin on the other side
4. Again, careful not to break through the skin, score across the top of the flesh diagonally
5. Put a little oil into a earthenware dish to prevent the aubergine sticking.
6. Place the aubergine in the dish. Cover the surface with a good amount of olive oil: don't be shy! Aubergines like olive oil!
7. Press the fresh rosemary in: this will lend the dish a lovely mediterranean feel
8. Cover the thick garlic slices in olive oil: this will stop them burning to a crisp
9. Work the sliced garlic into the cracks: you'll end up with a wonderfully smokey garlicky texture to the flavour. Season with salt and pepper
10. Put the aubergines into the oven and leave to cook for around 20-30 minutes until brown.
11. Meanwhile, prep the ingredients for the stuffing: tomatoes, onions, chilli, cinnamon and cumin
12. Hot pan. Oil in. Add cumin seeds and cinnamon sticks.
13. Onions in. Low medium temperature
14. Chilli in. Just a hint - you need a little heat in this dish but avoid overpowering.
15. When the onion starts to brown slightly, add the tomatoes
16. Hopefully now that the aubergine will have been in the oven for around 20-30 minutes, it will be ready: check it out!
17. Yup: it's ready! Now, you'll need to gently scoop out the flesh in the middle using a spoon. Use the outer incision as a guide. Be careful to leave a good 2 cm of flesh intact in the shell.
18. You're still sweating down the tomatoes in the pan with onion and chilli, remember? Add the scooped aubergine to it
19. Add the black-eyed beans and season with salt and pepper
20. Now the shells are ready to fill:
21. Press in some feta cubes
22. Pop back into the oven for a further 15 minutes. Voila!
23. Serve with chunky rustic bread (better than the rice I served with)
What did this cost me?
- aubergine: 4 zl
- beans: 0.50 zl
- cheese: 2.50 zl
- the rest: 1 zl
- bread to serve: 1 zl
total: 9 zl
per person: 4.50 zl
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