Couscous And Aubergine (eggplant) On Croute

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 100 g couscous
• 5 g ready to eat dried apricots
• 25 g raisins
• 600 ml vegetable stock
• 1 large aubergine, sliced lengthways
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red pepper
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 4 diced tomatoes
• 75 g sliced almonds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
• 375 g ready made puff pastry
• 3 tablespoons cranberry sauce
• 100 g firm goat cheese, diced
• 1 egg, beaten

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 220°c.
• 2 place couscous, apricots and raisins in a bowl and cover with stock. mix and set aside.
• 3 heat grill brush the aubergines with 2 tbsp of the oil and grill for 5 minutes each side. set aside.
• 4 grill pepper until skin is charred and place in a plastic baggie. leave to cool. when cool remove the skin halve, seeds and small dice.
• 5 heat remaining oil and cook onion and garlic for 5 minutes. add cinnamon and coriander and fry for another minute, stirring constantly.
• 6 fluff up couscous and add the peppers, tomatoes, onion mix, almonds, parsley and seasoning (if desired).
• 7 place pastry on a floured surface and roll out a 12 inch square. keep any trimmings.
• 8 cut in half and place one half on a baking sheet. spread half the cranberry sauce over leaving an inch border around the edge.
• 9 place half the couscous mix over the cranberry mix and level off as much as possible (make sure to leave the border).
• 10 lay over half the aubergine slices and and half the goats cheese.
• 11 repeat again with the remaining couscous, aubergine and goats cheese.
• 12 top with the remaining cranberry sauce and brush with half the egg.
• 13 run a lattice cutter over the remaining half of the pastry leaving and inch border.
• 14 lift the lattice the filling and gently stretch until the two pastry borders meet and brush with the egg.
• 15 use the trimmings to make star shapes to decorate.
• 16 bake on the top shelf for 20 minutes until golden.
• 17 rest for 10 minutes before serving.