INGREDIENTS

• 1 Imperfect Picks eggplant
• 2 cups of mixed cherry tomatoes 
• 1 cup of passata
• 1 cup of green olives (or olives of your choice pitted/unpitted)
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 bunch of parsley
• olive oil
• salt

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. 
2. Start by preparing the crunchy chickpeas for roasting. Drain the liquid from the can, rinse the chickpeas thoroughly and dry with a tea towel. Prepare a baking tray with a baking sheet and spread out the chickpeas evenly in 1 layer, use a larger baking tray for this. Cover the chickpeas in olive oil and salt (not too much olive oil). Roast the chickpeas for 45 minutes or until dark golden brown. 
3. Place the whole eggplant on a baking tray and brush the entire surface with olive oil. Then place the eggplant tray into the oven. Bake for 45 minutes. 
4. Prepare the tomato and olive base. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place onto a baking tray. Add the olives (see note) and passata, then top with salt, and olive oil. Mix everything through together. Bake for 45 minutes.
5. Remove the parsley stems and save for future use (see note). Chop the fresh parsley and set aside. 
6. Remove the chickpeas from the oven and add extra salt. Allow to cool. 
7. Serve by placing a bed of the cherry tomato and olive sauce on the base of a large wide plate. Place the eggplant on top, and scatter the crunchy chickpeas around. Finish by sprinkling some of the fresh parsley and fine sea salt around the plate.

Notes:

• Use your preferred olives, you might like to buy pitted olives or pit them yourself. In this recipe I’ve used whole Sicilian olives because I love the texture that they maintain and the form that they keep.
• Use the left over parsley stems to make a chicken or vegetable stock, or even finely sliced and mixed through a pesto or green salad.

Prep time: 10 minutes.
Cook time: 45 minutes.
Serves: 2, as a side.

Recipe and photos by Anastasia Zolotarev. Click here to see her blog.