I’ve just finished devouring the wonderful Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater. If you’re not aware of him, Nigel is a British chef known for his love of simple, high-quality ingredients and recipes that don’t have more than a few compoments.

This book has really helped to change my attitudes towards food, and I’ve been very inspired by his manner of cooking and loving food. This is a recipe inspired by him!

In Nigel Slater’s version of this, he paired the tomatoes and chickpeas with Spanish ham. I’ve throw in some rocket (arugula) instead to bring a tartness to the dish while keeping it light and energizing.

You’ll need:
(Feed 2)
3 large tomatoes, chopped into six pieces
1 medium sized eggplant (aubergine), sliced into chunks
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon harissa paste – store bought or made from this recipe
1 tablespoon olive oil + more for frying
6 large basil leaves, or 10 smaller ones
1 can chickpeas, drained, or 1 1/2 cups of home-cooked chickpeas
1 handful rocket
a splash of red wine
salt
pepper

Method:
In a pan heat a little olive oil
Add in the cumin seeds and eggplant chunks and cook on a high heat for a few minutes until almost tender all the way through
Add in the tomato slices into the pan and add the red wine; cook off the wine and allow the tomatoes to sort of sear; the skins should be almost blackened
Add in the chickpeas and the harissa paste, with the extra tablespoon of olive oil
Stir to coat
Toss in a bowl with the rocket (arugula) and whole basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Serve

This is a great meal for a hot day’s lunch or for an evening that’s getting a chill.