Time To Sow ‘Green Knight’ For a Taste Sensation! 

Next week you can begin to sow your Burpee Europe Aubergine ‘Green Knight’ indoors. This glossy jade green aubergine with long, smooth fruit is a culinary delight and to demonstrate this fact just take a look at the marvellous dish that can be made with it below.  You can also slice into discs and fry in oil or roast it. It is a ‘must have’ in any Asian recipe that calls for aubergine due to its traditional style and colour in many parts of the East.

Aubergine & Cashew Tagine

INGREDIENTS

100g of cashew nuts
200g of 7 mix grains
6 tbsp of vegetable oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 knob of fresh ginger, 2cm long, grated
2 tbsp of tomato purée
a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
250ml of vegetable stock
1 tbsp of sherry vinegar
1 tsp black treacle
50g of sultanas
2 tsp saffron strands, soaked in 1 tbsp of warm water for 10 minutes
2 Green Knight aubergines, cut into 2cm dice
1 bunch of coriander, chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Spice Mix

2 tbsp of cumin seeds
1 tbsp of fennel seeds
1 tbsp of yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/2 tsp table salt

Method

• • Pre –Heat oven at 200 degrees Celcius and place the cashews on a tray and roast for 6 minutes until golden brown.
  • In a pan of water, part cook the grains, half the time stated on the packet.
  • Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and fry off the diced onions, season with salt & pepper and saute for about 10 min until they are soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the tomato puree, the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, vinegar, treacle, sultanas and the saffron to the pan and remove from the heat.
  • Heat a dry large frying pan and add the spice mix and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the aroma release of great smell.
  • Place the dry mix spices into a pestle and mortar and crush down.
  • Season the diced aubergines with the spices and fry them in a frying pan with vegetable oil, cook until golden brown.
  • Add half the coriander to the casserole and mix well. Add the part cooked grains to the pan and the aubergines, finally sprinkle some cashew nuts, mix well and transfer to the oven and cook for 30 minutes until soft and the sauce is thickened.

    To Serve
    Place the tagine in a bowl and sprinkle with the remaining cashew nuts & coriander

    Tip
    This vegan dish is healthy and full of nutrients. Enjoy!

    Seeds are available from Mr Fothergills, DT Browns Seeds, Simply Seeds, Pennard Plants and more