Eggplants with Tomatoes and Chickpeas

Recipe by: Claudia Roden | from Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon

Cookstr

Course: Side Dish

Total Time: Under 2 Hours

Skill Level: Easy

Cost: Inexpensive

Photo by: Joey DeLeo

This dish can be served cold as a salad or hot as a side dish to accompany meat or chicken. It has a delicate sweet-and-sour flavor.

Yield: Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

2 eggplants
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
2 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pound tomatoes, skinned and chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
Black pepper
1½ tablespoons pomegranate molasses
One 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and then into ½-inch slices. Brush them generously with oil, sprinkle lightly with salt, and cook them under the broiler for 15 minutes, or on an oiled griddle, turning them over once. They do not need to be cooked through as they will be stewed further in the sauce.

In a large saucepan, heat the garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil for seconds only, stirring, until it just begins to color. Add the tomatoes and squash them gently in the pan. Add the sugar, salt, and black pepper and cook for 15 minutes. Add the pomegranate molasses, put in the eggplants and chickpeas, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the eggplants are very soft.

Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

Nutritional information includes 1/8 teaspoon of added salt per serving and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Calories 185kcal (9%)

Calcium 49mg (5%)

Vitamin C 18mg (30%)

Vitamin A 39mcg RAE (1%)

Potassium 738mg

Magnesium 54mg

Protein 6g

Sugar 8g