Aubergine Chickpea Stew with Fresh Flatbreads

School Night Vegan

An insanely satisfying chickpea stew, inspired by North African flavours and packed with warming spices, served with soft, fluffy flatbreads. It’s ideal for a cold wintry day and is perfect for sharing with a bunch of friends.

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cooking Time: 100 minutes
Serves: 4

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Ingredients

For the Stew:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp fresh parsley stalks
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp ground cloves
2 aubergines (eggplant) (approx 600g), halved lengthways then sliced into 1cm semicircles
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained (keep the liquid to use for aquafaba in another recipe)
2 x 400g tins peeled plum tomatoes
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
500ml vegetable stock
Juice of 1 lemon
For the Flatbreads:
130g strong white bread flour
350g plain white flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
300ml lukewarm water
2 tsp quick yeast
1 tsp sugar

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cooking Time: 100 minutes
Serves: 4

Method

To Make the Stew:

Preheat the oven to 200c (fan).
Place a cast-iron dutch oven (with lid) over a medium/low heat and add the oil.
Once the pan is to temperature, add the onion and fry lightly for a minute. Add the garlic and parsley stalks before frying for a further 2 minutes. Do not allow the onions or garlic to brown.
Add the spices and stir well to coat the onion. Add the aubergine, chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, brown sugar, and vegetable stock. Stir well.
Cover the pot with the lid and place in the preheated oven for 90 minutes, removing to stir every half hour.
While the stew cooks, make the flatbreads.

To Make the Flatbreads:

Combine the flours and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. If you don’t have a stand mixer, just use a medium sized bowl.
Place 100 ml of the water into a small bowl and add the sugar and yeast. Mix well and set aside to allow the yeast to bloom.
Mix the yeast mixture into the flour along with the rest of the water. If using a stand mixer, knead using the dough hook attachment for roughly 8-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth. If kneading by hand, sprinkle a counter with flour and knead vigorously for 8-10 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea-towel and leave to proof somewhere room temperature for at least one hour.
Once proofed, punch down the dough to remove the larger air bubbles.
Lightly flour a rimmed baking tray. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and slice the dough into 8 even pieces. Roll them into tight balls and place on the floured tray to prove, covered with a damp tea-towel. Leave to proof a second time for around 40 minutes.
Once proofed, roll out each ball to around 15cm. Place a dry, cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
Place one flatbread in the skillet and cook until puffed and bubbly. Flip after around 3 minutes, making sure the bottom isn’t burning. Cook for a further minute or two on the second side before removing. Repeat with all of the flatbreads. Wrap the cooked flatbreads in a clean tea-towel to keep them warm.