Bejewelled.....as Nigella would Say

November 7th - Don't you just love Nigella's ways with words. Every time I see anything with pomegranate I think of her recipes and how she thinks the dishes look 'bejewelled'. I can't get pomegranate here but had brought some back from the mainland because I'd seen a recipe that I really wanted to try.  I like aubergine and the flavours of Middle Eastern food so Baked Aubergine with  Chickpeas and Green Chilli  from Bill Granger sounded tempting.  I dispensed with the sprinkling of aubergine with salt etc etc (life's too short) and I  brushed the aubergine with oil and roasted the aubergine slices rather than fry them. The sauce was made from a chopped onion, a tablespoon of grated ginger, a finely chopped green chilli, 2 teaspoons of paprika and a teaspoon of cumin with a tin of tomatoes and tin of chickpeas.  In the absense of pomegranate molasses a tablespoon of brown sugar was mixed with a tablespoon of lemon juice and this was added too. The sauce was layered with the aubergine and the whole lot baked in the oven.  It was served with crumbled feta cheese, chopped mint and pomegranate seeds.  It was a dish of such unusual combinations of flavours and textures....but one I will definitely make again.