Christmas Dinner Party Show Stoppers Mains Vegetarian

Spicy Chickpea Spinach Aubergine Roses On A Bed Of Roasted Red Pepper Harissa Cream Sauce With Pearled Cous Cous Jewels

Name: Spicy Chickpea Spinach Aubergine Roses On A Bed Of Roasted Red Pepper Harissa Cream Sauce With Pearled Cous Cous Jewels
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: continental
Ingredients: AUBERGINE; 2 Aubergines sliced thin lengthways; Olive oil; Sea salt flakes; Freshly ground black pepper; RED PEPPER HARISSA CREAM SAUCE; 4 Roasted red peppers from a jar; 3 Plump vine tomatoes cut into wedges; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 50g Parmesan cheese grated (vegan optional); 1.5 tbsp Lemon juice; 2 tbsp Harissa paste; Sea salt flakes and black pepper; Chilli Flakes; 120ml Single cream (I used oat cream); 3 tbsp Cream Cheese (vegan optional); COUSCOUS; 180g Pearl couscous cooked with a little veg stock for extra flavour; CHICKPEAS & SPINACH; Olive oil; 300g Spinach fresh and washed; 2 Slices thick day-old bread, cubed; 15 Almonds, blanched; 4 Garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tsp Cumin ground; 1 tsp smoked paprika; Sea salt flakes and black pepper; 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar; 400g Chickpeas @oddpodsfoods; 60g Passata/ Crushed tomato sauce

by Zarina November 22, 2021

November 22, 2021

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How beautiful are these aubergine roses, and how gorgeous would this look on your Xmas table?

Let me tell you guys… this one really was not just a pretty plate, the flavours just worked so gorgeously together, spinach and chickpeas cooked in a warming spicy tomato sauce, encased around soft charred aubergine which I curled up at the ends to make pretty roses.

SIMPLY DIVINE!!! The roses sat on top of a sauce made from jarred roasted red peppers. Oven-roasted tomatoes, garlic, parmesan, harissa paste and a touch of cream cheese, extra lusciousness (is that a word??) all finished off with a sprinkling of pearled couscous jewels.

Spicy Chickpea Spinach Aubergine Roses On A Bed Of Roasted Red Pepper Harissa Cream Sauce With Pearled Cous Cous Jewels

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cooking Time: 1 Hour 1 Hour

Nutrition facts: 1H25M calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5
( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

AUBERGINE

2 Aubergines sliced thin lengthways

Olive oil

Sea salt flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

RED PEPPER HARISSA CREAM SAUCE

4 Roasted red peppers from a jar

3 Plump vine tomatoes cut into wedges

4 cloves garlic, crushed

50g Parmesan cheese grated (vegan optional)

1.5 tbsp Lemon juice

2 tbsp Harissa paste

Sea salt flakes and black pepper

Chilli Flakes

120ml Single cream (I used oat cream)

3 tbsp Cream Cheese (vegan optional)

COUSCOUS

180g Pearl couscous cooked with a little veg stock for extra flavour

CHICKPEAS & SPINACH

Olive oil

300g Spinach fresh and washed

2 Slices thick day-old bread, cubed

15 Almonds, blanched

4 Garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp Cumin ground

1 tsp smoked paprika

Sea salt flakes and black pepper

2 tbsp Red wine vinegar

400g Chickpeas @oddpodsfoods

60g Passata/ Crushed tomato sauce

Instructions

Brush the aubergine slices liberally with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then grill on a hot griddle pan or BBQ until soft and slightly charred, set aside.

Preheat grill/broiler 200C

Place tomatoes on a lined oven tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill for 10 minutes until soft.

In a food processor, blitz the tomatoes with all the other sauce ingredients and set them aside.

On medium heat, add a glug of olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the spinach until wilted. Drain any excess water and set it aside.

Wipe down the same saucepan and heat on medium with another glug of olive oil, then add the bread cubes and almonds, toast until golden and slightly charred

Then add the garlic, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes until the garlic is golden.

Tip the contents of the pan into a food processor along with the red wine vinegar and blitz for a few seconds into a thick paste

Return the pasta to the saucepan adding in the chickpeas and the passata, thin the sauce out with a bit of water (about 40-50ml, more if needed) and then add in the wilted spinach, salt and pepper, stir until all combined and heated through

To assemble, tip the red pepper sauce into the serving dish and spread evenly.

Take two slices of charred aubergine and form into a vertical circle, fill with as much of the spinach and chickpea mixture as possible and set on top of the sauce. Curl the ends, so they look like rose petals and repeat this process with the remaining aubergine slices

Finally, sprinkle with the pearled couscous, some flaked sea salt and a grinding of black pepper.

Enjoy!

Did You Make This Recipe?
Would love to hear your feedback! If you make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram @zarskitchen.

Spicy Chickpea Spinach Aubergine Roses On A Bed Of Roasted Red Pepper Harissa Cream Sauce With Pearled Cous Cous Jewels

Spicy Chickpea Spinach Aubergine Roses On A Bed Of Roasted Red Pepper Harissa Cream Sauce With Pearled Cous Cous Jewels

Ingredients

Instructions

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