Roasted Aubergine Traybake Recipe

Tim says: “Traybakes are so simple to make, but the garnishes here make it look like a showstopper and bring the plant score up to 13, giving you plenty of polyphenols and a boost of fibre.”

Prep time:

15 minutes

Cook time:

40 minutes

Plants:

Serves:

Ingredients

2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and patted dry
350g cherry tomatoes
2 peppers, cut into 2cm chunks
200g halloumi, cut into 1cm cubes
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chilli powder
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 aubergines, halved
3 tbsp tahini
180ml kefir
2 tsp sumac
20g coriander, roughly chopped
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
Juice of lime
Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas 6 and line two large baking trays with baking parchment.

2. Put the chickpeas, tomatoes, peppers, halloumi and garlic cloves on one tray with three-quarters each of the cumin, ground coriander and chilli powder. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Toss to coat.

3. Cut each aubergine in half lengthways and score a 2cm deep criss-cross pattern into the flesh of each one. Sprinkle with the remaining ground spices and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Season and place on the other baking tray. Place both trays in the oven for 40 minutes.

4. Mix the tahini, kefir and sumac in a bowl and season. When the vegetables are ready, squeeze the garlic from their skins into the sauce, mash them in and stir to combine.

5. Transfer the chickpeas, halloumi and veg to a serving dish and stir in three-quarters of the fresh coriander. Place the aubergine halves on top and scatter with the remaining coriander, spring onions, pomegranate seeds, lime juice and the sauce.

Extracted from The Food for Life Cookbook by Tim Spector (Vintage, £28). All photography by Issy Croker.

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