This dish brings back the spices and flavors of a trip to Morocco. The small colorful eggplants cut in half make an excellent side dish for any meal, especially if it’s lamb.
Ingredients
- 3 small eggplants
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup minced shallot
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons currants
- 1 tablespoon minced oregano
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ½ cup finely-diced sweet red pepper
- Pinch of dried red chili pepper
- 1 cup chickpeas
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup water
- Whole milk yogurt, for serving
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Slice the eggplants in half and scoop out the pulp with a spoon, leaving a wall of eggplant ½-inch thick all around.
Roughly chop 1/2 cup of the pulp and set it aside. Discard remaining pulp.
Pour a little lemon juice into the eggplant shell and the reserved pulp.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, shallots, garlic, curry powder, and cinnamon. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until shallots are translucent; be careful not to burn the garlic. Next, add the currants, oregano, thyme, diced sweet red pepper, dried red chili pepper, chickpeas, and the eggplant pulp. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and remove from heat.
Place eggplant shells in a large baking dish to hold the six shells. Drizzle with olive oil and fill the shells with the vegetable mixture. Pour chicken broth over the eggplant and add ½ cup of water to the baking dish (you may need to add more as you bake). Cover loosely with a piece of foil. Bake for 1 hour; remove foil for the last half hour.
Serve with a dollop of whole milk yogurt.
