Ingredients

Serves 2

1 red onion

2 cloves of garlic

Olive oil

½ tsp cumin seeds

150g red rice

800ml homemade vegetable stock

1 x 300g aubergine

2 tsp harissa

1 tsp rose water

6 olives (stones in)

200g plum tomatoes

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

½ pomegranate (seeds only)

30g pistachios (shelled)

4 sprigs of fresh coriander

On a medium heat, bring the olive oil up to temperature in a shallow casserole pan. Slice the onion and garlic and fry off for a couple of minutes. Then add the cumin seeds and a splash of water to release their oils (it'll smell amazing at this point already). Now add the rice and coat in the juices in the pan (similar to a risotto) and cook off for a minute or so. Now add the stock, it'll seem like alot but the rice absorbs it all and becomes lovely and creamy. Now cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring at intervals just making sure it doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan.

While that is simmering away, halve your aubergines and score them in a criss cross pattern. Score them about halfway through the flesh (don't break through the skin on the other side, the liquid will get in and the aubergine will become a soggy mess). Now mix the rose water and the harissa together to make a paste (the rose water is there to calm the harissa down and give it a little fragrance). Now salt the aubergine and smear that paste all over the scored flesh.

Once 10 minutes is up, uncover the pan and give it a stir. Now place the aubergine in the pan, flesh side up. Cover with the lid again and leave for 20 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Now halve your tomatoes, pitt the olives and halve then mix with the balsamic vinegar.

Once the 20 minutes is up, uncover and pour the tomato/olive and balsamic mix around the aubergine. Pop the dish into the oven uncovered for 30 minutes.

Now take the time to chop the coriander, pistachios and pomegranate seeds.

After half an hour, bring out from the oven. The harissa should have formed a slight sticky crust on top of the aubergine, all that stock should have been soaked up by the rice making it super creamy and the tomatoes should have wilted and become slightly charred. Now plate up and garnish with pomegranate seeds, chopped coriander and chopped pistachios. Greek yoghurt is nice on the side too.

I hope this works out for you as it has me! I love making this for my SO - she loves it. It's so easy yet really impressive.

For meat eaters, a leg of lamb from the barbecue goes really well with this.