Aubergine & Chickpea Tartine (Open Sandwich)
I’m not a massive fan of sandwiches.
As someone who craves variety in my diet and gets bored eating the same stuff day in, day out, I find sandwiches pretty same-y and boring.
It wasn’t always the case. But then I didn’t always live in England.
The sandwich choices in England and nearly always predictable, same-y, and generally contain no vegetables except the occasional sad-looking lettuce leaf or tomato. And I get a bit tired of ham, cheese, BLT, egg, chicken, tuna or prawn.
When I think of exciting sandwiches, the ones I actually want to eat, my mind inevitably always drift back to tartines. And nearly always Pain Quotidien ones at that.
If you haven’t come across it before, the Pain Quotidien is a restaurant chain that started in Belgium and does truly delicious food in a traditional continental way, which generally includes communal tables and interesting conversation with people you don’t know. Not exactly a Brit’s introverted dream, but its English branches are doing pretty well anyway I gather!
Growing up in Belgium, there were many Pain Quotidien around, and my sister and I used to beg our parents to take us there. Which would probably seem strange to many British parents, considering the abundance of vegetables and fresh ingredients in their dishes. But they could make anything appetising. Especially when served on their classic open-faced sandwiches (tartines).
Inspired by this cafe and its signature sandwiches, I decided to put our favourite bread to good use one lunchtime and made a delicious dish that made use of just a handful of ingredients, a good deal of Moroccan flavours, a pan and a mixer.
And it was so good, so reminiscent of the Pain Quotidien tartines I missed so much, that I had to share it with you.
It is smoky, simple and swift.
And it is one of those wonderful easy, cheap dishes that is simple enough for an everyday lunch, yet elegant enough for a light lunch or starter when you have people over. Serve on sweet potato toast for a low carb option, gluten free bread if you need it, or skip the bread entirely for a yummy side to serve with chicken or rice or whatever dish you feel complements it best! 🙂
A delicious, cheap & easy lunch, starter or snack that is elegant and full of flavour. It makes the usual sandwiches we come across seem dull in comparison, but takes only a few ingredients and little time.
- 250 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight & cooked, reserving a little of the water they were cooked in (or use 2 tins)
- 2 small aubergines, chopped into 1cm cubes
- 1/4 bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1 tsp each coriander seeds and cumin seeds, crushed in a pestle & mortar (or use 1/2 tsp each ground)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 4 slices of bread (gluten-free if you like)**
- a little crumbled feta, optional
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds or 1 tsp tahini
- 1/2 tsp za'atar, optional
- olive oil
- salt & pepper, to taste
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Add aubergines and chopped coriander stalks to a pan, along with 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil and then simmer, checking regularly to make sure it isn't catching*, for 15-20 mins, or until the aubergines are soft and the water has boiled away. Add half of the chickpeas and the spices (except the fresh coriander) for the last 5 mins. Season to taste and add a squeeze of the lemon.
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While the aubergines are cooking, make the hummus: tip the other half of the chickpeas into a mixer with the juice of the lemon, sesame seeds or tahini and za'atar and pulse until it starts to form a bitty paste. Turn on the mixer and slowly drizzle olive oil and the chickpea water from the tin or the cooking water until the hummus becomes smooth but thick. Mix in a little of the fresh coriander, if you want.
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Smear a generous amount of hummus onto each slice of bread and top with the warm aubergine & chickpea mixture. Sprinkle with the chopped fresh coriander and a little crumbled feta, if you like. An extra little drizzle of olive oil doesn't go amiss either!
* If the aubergines start to catch, simply add a splash more water. Repeat as necessary.
**Serve with sweet potato toast for or paleo bread for a low carb option
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