Aubergine with spicy apricot tabbouleh
By Sarah Cook
This aubergine parcel looks very dramatic, but is dead easy
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Prep:20 mins
Cook:30 mins
- Serves 1
- Easy
Nutrition per serving
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kcal 503
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fat 36g
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saturates 5g
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carbs 39g
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sugars 22g
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fibre 10g
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protein 8g
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salt 0.19g
Ingredients
- 25g couscous
- ½ -1 tsp harissa, depending how spicy you like it
- 4 soft dried apricots, roughly chopped
- few pinches ground coriander
- 1 spring onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp chickpeas from a can
- 4 tbsp chopped herbs like mint, coriander and parsley
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- juice ½ lemon
- 1 aubergine
Tip
Use up the aubergine: Smoky aubergine dipChop 1 large aubergine into chunks, then mix with the scooped out flesh from the stuffed aubergine, and a little oil. Grill, turning, for 10 -15 mins until the aubergine is soft and charred. Cool, whizz briefly until pulpy, then mix in a bowl with juice from 1 lemon, 150g pot yogurt, 2 tbsp chopped mint and parsley, few pinches smoky paprika and some seasoning. Good Food Vegetarian Summer
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Method
Boil the kettle and tip the couscous into a heatproof bowl. Rub in the harissa with your fingers, then stir in the apricots and ground coriander. Pour over 2 ½ tbsp boiling water, cover, then leave the couscous to swell for 5 mins.
When the couscous is cooked, fluff it up with a fork and stir in the spring onion, chickpeas, 2 tbsp chopped herbs, 1 tbsp oil and all but 1 tsp of the lemon juice. Season well and set aside.
Slice a thick slice off the rounded end of the aubergine. Using a small knife and teaspoon, cut and scrape out most of the aubergine flesh until you have a 1-2cm thick shell left (see Tip below for using up the aubergine). Brush inside and out with another tbsp of oil, then tightly pack in the couscous. Return the slice to the bottom of the aubergine to seal, then wrap tightly in two layers of foil. The stuffed aubergine will sit happily for up to a day in the fridge.
Just before you begin barbecuing, mix the remaining herbs with the remaining oil and lemon juice and some seasoning. Sit the aubergine over the coolest part of the barbecue, and cook for about 30 mins, turning. To test if the aubergine is done, stick in a skewer – if the aubergine feels soft and the skewer feels hot when it comes out then it’s ready. To serve, unwrap the aubergine and thickly slice. Sit a few slices on a plate and drizzle with the herby dressing.
