baked chickpeas with eggplant recipe by carolina doriti
If you’re feeling any inkling of Euro-summer FOMO, this recipe will transport the Greek islands to your home. Straight from the pages of The Greek Islands Cookbook by Carolina Doriti, this baked chickpeas with eggplant recipe is big on flavour. Plus, you get to recreate some Greek holiday magic in your own home – win-win!
Images and text from The Greek Islands Cookbook by Carolina Doriti, photography by Manos Chatzikonstantis. Murdoch Books RRP $39.99.
FROM PATMOS
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are a staple on Greek islands, particularly in the Cyclades, Dodecanese and on Crete, where they feature prominently in local recipes. These dishes often involve slow-cooking the chickpeas in a clay pot with a fitted lid, sealed with dough, to trap steam inside. The pot is placed in a wood-burning oven for hours. Baked chickpeas are a popular dish for island festivals, such as those on Nisyros and Sifnos. Variations on oven-baked chickpeas can be found across the islands, cooked with seasonal vegetables, fish or meat. In Rhodes, a dish called lakani features goat with bulgur (cracked) wheat and chickpeas. On Crete, chickpeas are paired with salted cod, while on Patmos, they are cooked with eggplants.
On Patmos, the site of several important religious festivals, including the Feast Day of Saint John, this dish is typically cooked on the stove top with diced eggplants that melt into the tomato sauce with the chickpeas, creating a creamy texture. However, I prefer to bake the dish and halve or quarter the eggplants because this method allows them to retain their shape and absorb the flavours more distinctly. The baking process intensifies the flavours, giving the chickpeas a deeper, richer taste while the eggplants add a satisfying textural contrast.
INGREDIENTS
SERVES 4
FOR THE CHICKPEAS
300g dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or 650g cooked chickpeas
1 bay leaf
FOR THE EGGPLANTS
3 eggplants (around 750g)
Olive oil, for brushing
FOR THE SAUCE
200ml olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 red capsicum, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp tomato paste (concentrated purée)
70ml sweet red wine
360g fresh tomatoes, grated or passata
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp sweet paprika
4 whole allspice berries (whole pimento)
1/2 tsp grated orange zest (unwaxed)
3–4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 dried red chilli or fresh red chilli
400ml warm vegetable broth or water
2–3 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
If using dried chickpeas, place them in a large bowl, cover with plenty of water and leave to soak overnight. The next day, drain the chickpeas and place them in a pot covered in plenty of fresh water. Add a bay leaf and a little salt to the pot, then boil the chickpeas for about 40 minutes (depending on their quality) or until soft. Once cooked, drain the chickpeas and set aside.
Rinse the eggplants and pat them dry. Trim the leaves around the stem, but leaving the stem in place, and halve or quarter the eggplants lengthwise. Put the eggplants in a large bowl, add 1 tsp of salt and toss to coat. Cover the eggplants with lukewarm water and place a plate on top of them to keep them submerged in the water. Leave them to soak for 20–30 minutes, then drain and press the eggplants between kitchen paper to dry them well.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Using a paring knife, score the flesh of the eggplants on both sides with vertical and horizontal lines to create a grid, then brush them generously with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Arrange the eggplants on the baking tray, cut sides up. Roast in the hot oven for 25 minutes or until soft and golden.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Place a large, deep pan over a medium heat. Add 50ml of the olive oil and, once hot, tip in the onions, season with a little salt and cook while stirring until soft and glossy. Add the garlic, red capsicum and bay leaf to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes. Squeeze in the tomato paste and gently mix. Pour in the wine and let the alcohol infuse the vegetables for 1 minute, then add the grated tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the cinnamon stick, sweet paprika, allspice berries, orange zest, thyme sprigs and red chilli. Pour in 100ml of the warm vegetable broth or water. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove and discard the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, thyme sprigs and dried or fresh chilli. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, then mix in the parsley.
Lightly grease a large ovenproof dish with 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Cover the base of the dish with the boiled chickpeas and spoon over one-third of the sauce, then stir to mix. Nestle the eggplants nicely between the chickpeas. Spoon the remaining sauce on top followed by the remaining broth and olive oil. Gently shake the baking dish to level.
Bake at 200°C/180°C fan for 30–40 minutes, uncovered, or until the eggplants are very soft and light brown and the sauce in the pan has reduced by half. Remove from the oven and let the dish stand for 10–15 minutes before serving.