Preserved Lemon and Chickpea Tagine, Jeweled Wild Rice and Aubergine Fritter by Steph Stapelton Barnes at MILK

This dish is from our first Summer Gatherings dinner at Jupiter Artland. Each month we will host a unique dinner in our cafe on the grounds of the wonderful sculpture gardens. We will serve a five-course feast using the best local and seasonal produce with many of the ingredients grown or foraged from the Jupiter Artland estate. Our first date is May 26.

For more information and how to book, visit on our website www.cafemilk.co.uk/events

INGREDIENTS
Tagine:
400g chickpeas, cooked 
3 preserved lemons, pith removed
3-4 banana shallots, sliced
1 tin cherry tomatoes
1 courgette, cut into batons
1 long red pepper, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger, coriander and cinnamon
Salt and pepper
Jewelled wild rice:
A couple of saffron threads
Seed and fruit mix (sunflower, pumpkin, cranberry, sultanas whatever you prefer!)
Shelled pistachios, lightly crushed
Pomegranate seeds
Salt and pepper
A knob of butter
Aubergine fritter:
250g white onion, grated
Parsley or mint, chopped
1 aubergine
90g self-raising flour
500g tomato, de-seeded and diced
Oil

METHOD
Tagine:
1 In an oven proof pot/dish or tagine fry the shallots, garlic and spices until the shallots are soft.
2 Add the courgette and peppers. Cook for another minute or two. 
3 Add the preserved lemons, chickpeas, tinned cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste and teaspoon of sugar if too tart. 
4 Reduce and pop into the oven with a lid on a low heat until the sauce is rich, and chickpeas have absorbed all the flavours.

Jewelled Wild Rice:
1 Rinse the rice a couple of times then fill a pan with water until half an inch above the level of the rice. 
2 Add salt, pepper and saffron to the water and boil until cooked. 
3 Drain and add a knob of butter while hot, then stir in mixed seeds, nuts and dried fruit. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds to garnish.

Aubergine Fritter:
1 Firstly, cook a whole aubergine over an open flame to give a smoky flavour. Char the skin until blackened. You can finish it in the oven to cook the flesh.
2 Put the onion and tomato into a colander and squeeze out most of the water. Salt slightly and leave to drain off the liquid for as long as you can.
3 Peel and discard the charred skin from the aubergine and chop up the flesh, add to a bowl with onions, tomato, flour, herbs and seasoning.
4 Mix together into a batter. Your mix shouldn’t be too runny. 
5 Heat a pan with a generous amount of oil, spoon the fritter mix in and brown the fritters on both sides. Transfer to a tray and pop into the oven to finish cooking.
Serve together for a feast. Top with Greek yoghurt and fresh herbs. Serve with flatbreads if you fancy.

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