“up to the challenge.”
plum, eggplant, and chickpea tagine.
I never shy away from a challenge. I’m sure this is at least partially influenced by my perfectionist tendencies, and also perhaps by that neverending need to prove myself [to whom or for what, I don't know].
It’s true that any challenge we face can be an opportunity to fail, but I choose instead to see it as an opportunity to change. To stretch limits, to try out the new, to aspire for something – anything. It helps me push myself. It helps me grow up.
I can’t recall a time during which I was particularly intimidated by a feat that needed conquering. Two-hour oral senior thesis? 7 mile run? Job interview? I might be nervous, but I would do it. I would confront the tasks head on, because I would try my best, and that was what mattered.
That’s why, when my friend Sofia, well-versed in food blog land, passed on a link to a cooking challenge, I was immediately up for the task. I invited my culinary-inclined friends over for an evening of home-cooked food, and together we conquered local, late summer fruit in some spectacular ways.
The best part of taking on this challenge? I got to savor the literal fruits of our labor, from Sofia’s buttered nectarines to Megan’s gingersnap crusted blueberries.
Sure, I might just be another twentysomething emo-leaning blog writer, but I figure I come from a long tradition of kitchen devotees. I knew I could give this one my all.
♦♦♦
plum, eggplant, and chickpea tagine [serves about 4]
- 1 medium eggplant, chopped into 1″ cubes
- 1 c vidalia onion, chopped
- 2 T olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 t cumin
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1/2 t dried ginger
- 1/2 t coriander
- 2 c cooked chickpeas
- 2 c plums, chopped into 1″ pieces, divided
- 1 c vegetable broth
- 1 T agave
- juice and zest of one lemon
- ~4 c kale, shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
1) Lightly sprinkle eggplant with salt and set aside about 30 minutes.
2) Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large pot or sauté pan. Add onion; cook over medium heat until softened and lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté one minute. Add cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and coriander; sauté one minute, until toasted and fragrant.
3) Add eggplant and remaining tablespoon of oil. Sauté about five minutes, until eggplant begins to soften. Add chickpeas, 1 cup plums, vegetable broth, honey, and lemon juice. Stir well and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.
4) Stir in kale until it wilts. Stir in lemon zest, cashews, and remaining cup of plums.
5) Serve warm over whole wheat couscous or brown rice. Tastes even better the next day.
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That looks exquisite! The cinnamon and in this warm dish is a nice transition to fall, methinks! Your pictures are beautiful too:)
can i join the emo-leaning twentysomething blogger club? we can make visors or something that read ELT Blogger. you down?
i’m all about failing if the other option is stagnation and sameness. the ex-roomie and i had some decorative fridge art in our previous apartment that read “failure is cool.” though it sounds kind of bitter and haterade-y, i stand by that statement. yes, i just made haterade an adjective. i don’t know. shana tova?
I am so excited for this! After a month of lots of travel, I’m back in my kitchen and ready for a challenge.
Exquisite food, as ever.
Oh crap. And this is what comes of not reading fine print — challenge deadline is tmw, which means no Gena-entry! But I’ll root YOU on :)
[...] but not least, Leslie at The Whole Plate combined savory and sweet in a tagine of plum, eggplant and chickpea. It’s an inspired take on the Moroccan one-pot dish that sounds as [...]