Beans with Eggplant & Parmesan Crust

Beans with Eggplant & Parmesan Crust (Nigel Slater)

It's time for IHCC's monthly Mystery Box Madness Challenge again! This exciting challenge started in November 2014 and we're entering the 11th month this month! :)

Modus operandi is the same: we can choose a dish from one of IHCC's twelve chefs. This time round, the chosen dish must contain at least three of these mystery ingredients: salmon (fresh, smoked, canned), green peas (dried, fresh, frozen or canned), hazelnuts, eggplant, Parmesan cheese, kale, apples (any color/kind), blue cheese, rosemary, bread rolls/buns.

Exciting! Should I make a dessert or an appetizer or a main course? I'd love to try cooking with salmon or maybe blue cheese. For this round, I choose Nigel's bean dish that contains these three mystery ingredients: eggplant, Parmesan cheese, rosemary.

Recipe by Nigel Slater, Beans with Eggplant & Parmesan Crust.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

2 medium eggplants, cut into thick slices
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 rosemary stems, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 cups canned red kidney beans, drained
2 cups canned tomatoes, don't drain

For the crust:
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil

How to:

1. Heat up olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the eggplant slices until golden on both sides. Remove with a slotted spatula and drain on kitchen paper.

2. Preheat oven to 200°C. While waiting for the oven, heat up some olive oil in an oven-safe pot. Add in onions and cook until they are softened (not browned). Add in chopped garlic, rosemary stems, and dried oregano.

3. Add in tomatoes and bring to a boil, then stir in kidney beans and cooked eggplants. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil again. Once done, cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and cook for 45 minutes.

4. To make the crust: Toss all ingredients (except olive oil) together in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil until the mixture becomes lightly moist. Remove the pot from the oven and spoon the crumbs on top. Return the pot, uncovered, into the oven. Bake for another 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown.