Aubergine (Eggplant) Assanta

Submitted by bluemoon downunder

"Another unusual recipe, which I have slightly adapted - just by adding some garlic - from a recipe from Greek chef and restaurateur Theodore Kyriakou's ‘real greek food’, which he co-authored with food writer Charles Campion. This recipe, which can be served as part of a mezedes spread, "originates from the Greek Jewish community of the city of Thessaloniki". I am posting it here for the 2005 Zaar World Tour. The recipe did not specify the quantity this recipe makes. My guesstimate is 4 cups. If you make this before I have a chance to make it, it would be really helpful if you could please indicate in your review the quantity this recipe makes. Any specific information you can offer on your experience of cooking times would also be helpful. This recipe is strangely lacking in those details, but sounded too interesting to pass over."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Yields: 4 cups

ingredients

• 250 g dried garbanzo beans
• 500 g Spanish onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 600 g aubergines
• 1 teaspoon powdered cumin
• sea salt, to taste
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

directions

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in a large bowl of water, to which a pinch of salt has been added. Next morning, discard the water and rinse the chickpeas under cold running water.
2. Sauté the onions and garlic until they are soft but not browned at all, in about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a pan. Add the chickpeas, cover with water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook, for anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes, uncovered until the chickpeas are soft and fully cooked. If necessary, keep topping up with boiling water. (This is the only recipe in the book, of those I've read or made,which is a bit vague about the cooking times in this step. I can but conclude that chickpeas vary in how long it takes for them to be cooked. The important thing is to ensure that the chickpeas are throughly cooked. Cut one open before completing this step.) Strain off the water and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C°/400°F/Gas 6. Place the aubergines, whole, on an oiled baking sheet and roast them until they are very soft. When they have cooled down enough to handle, remove the skins and mash the flesh in a bowl with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, stir in the cumin and the chickpeas and mix well so that all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
4. Take a lightly oiled roasting tray (about 25cmx25cmx5cm) and spread the mixture out evenly onto the tray, sprinkle generously with olive oil and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until done.

Reviews

[mary winecoff]

I had multiple people over and this is a combination of their reviews on this dish. First of all, I did not soak the chickpeas but used cans of chickpeas. In this way I thought that they were soft enough. I sauted the onions and garlic in the olive oil and added the garbanzo beans to it. I roasted the eggplants in the oven, mashed them and added the chickpea mixture and cumin. Baked at 400 degrees until lightly browned. Very good. Some people wanted the chickpeas to be mashed and some also wanted something crunchy to be added on top of the casserole. Overall, everyone loved the taste and it was all gone at the end of the meal!