An Aubergine delight: Almond & Aubergine Stew with Basil Couscous

It was time for us to come up with a Mediterranean, healthy, and delicious recipe with aubergine that is a great simple recipe for the summer. Today we use almonds to provide a creamy texture and subtle flavor to this Greek-inspired stew. A great trick to learn is to use nuts to thicken a sauce. It is applicable to dishes from all over the world, including Indian curries, Spanish soups, South American stews, and many more. You'd be crazy not to try it, especially when it's served over herb-flecked couscous and topped with feta!

Are you ready!? Oh no wait, not yet, you need the ingredients first, obviously! there you go:

Now, it is time to cook!: INSTRUCTIONS: 1

Preheat your oven to 200°C. Put the water (amount specified in the ingredient list) on to boil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the vegetable stock pot and stir to dissolve. While it comes to the boil, remove the root and dark green top from the leek, halve lengthways and slice into thin half moons. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Halve, peel and finely chop the red onion into ½cm pieces.

2

Once your pan of stock is boiling, add the couscous, remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Set it aside until everything else is ready. Remove the stalk top from the aubergine, halve lengthways and chop into 1cm pieces. Place on a lined baking tray, drizzle over some olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Toss to coat, then spread out evenly and roast on the top shelf of your oven until soft and brown, 20-25 mins.

3

Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan on medium-low heat. Add the leek, garlic and onion. Cook until soft, about 5 mins. Stir in the tomato purée and tomato passata. Continue to cook on low heat until the stew begins to thicken, 5-10 mins.

4

Add the green olives, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the stew. Once the aubergine is cooked, add that in too, along with the ground almonds.

5

Pick the basil leaves from their stalks and finely chop (discard the stalks). Take the lid off the couscous and fluff it up with a fork. Stir through three-quarters of the basil.

6

Serve the basil couscous with the almond and aubergine stew on top. Crumble over the feta cheese and sprinkle on the remaining basil. Dinner time!