This is one of those vegetarian dishes that you’ll end up making over and over again. I serve it with BBQ lamb but I’d quite happily eat it all by itself. It’s made up of layers of chickpeas, tomatoes and aubergines in a rich tomato sauce and topped with a delicious yoghurt and tahini dressing.  I have also used crumbled feta instead of the tahini yoghurt with good results. It’s delicious anyway and a great low-carb eating dish.

• 2 aubergines. 1 should be cut into small cubes, the other sliced in rounds about 1cm thick
• 4 tbsp light olive oil plus a little extra for drizzling
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 1 x 400g tin of tomatoes
• 1 tbsp plain tomato purée. I use a spicy Turkish tomato paste if you can find it which gives it a spicier flavour
• 1 dessertspoon of red wine vinegar
• 6 fresh tomatoes, peeled and sliced. Add them to a bowl, pour over boiling water and pour off after a minute and the skins will be easy to peel off. 
• 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Salt and finely ground black pepper
• Topping – a tablespoon of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and 3 tablespoons of Greek-style yoghurt mixed with a tablespoon of tahini and a dessertspoon of lemon juice. 

To make…

• Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large bowl and add the bite-sized aubergine cubes. Stir and thoroughly coat the cubes in the oil.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large sauté pan and cook the chopped onion for about 15 minutes so it’s soft and slightly golden. Add the aubergine cubes and cook those through for about 10 minutes until they are also soft and golden.
• Next, add the garlic and cook through for a couple of minutes.
• Pour in the tomatoes, vinegar, salt, pepper and tomato purée. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes on a low heat.
• Meanwhile, add two more tablespoons of olive to the bowl you put the cubes in and then add the aubergine rounds so that you can coat them thoroughly on both sides with the oil.
• Heat a non-stick frying pan and then brown the aubergine slices in batches.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Pour the tomato and aubergine mixture into a large baking dish. Next, scatter the chickpeas over the mix, then the sliced tomatoes and, finally, the aubergine slices. Press them down into the mixture lightly with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes until bubbling and golden.
• Served warm topped with the tahini yoghurt and scattered with chopped parsley.

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