Spiced Aubergine-Onion Couscous with fruits

I confess: I am in love with Couscous. I like rice, I like potatoes, I like Bulgur as a side dish. Yeah, I like them all. But Couscous....it is so flexibel!

This dish is a very flavourful vegetarian one we made much more than one time. We were so happy with it! It satisfied us more than most of the other vegetarian recipes I made.

I prefer to eat it with a big dab of pure yogurt.

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Spiced Aubergine-Onion Couscous with fruits
...serves 2 hungry ones (plus some leftovers)

Ingredients:
> 450 grams aubergine
> 450 grams shallots
> 1 garlic clove
> 5 sprigs thyme/half a tsp
> 30 grams walnut pits
> 4 Tbsp olive oil
> salt & pepper
> 180 grams Instant-Couscous
> good pinch curcuma (grounded)
> 2 Tbsp sugar
> 3 Tbsp Aceto Balsamico
> some parsley
> hand full of currants or pomegranate pits or blackberries or dried cranberries.... (I actually prefer the currants)
> plain yogurt


Method:
>> cut aubergine in dices, 1,5 x 1,5 cm
>> peel shallots and cut in thin stripes
>> peel garlic and chop fine
>> crush walnuts in small bits, not to small...it should give some nice chunks in the Couscous later
>> pick the thyme from the sprigs

>> roast walnuts in a pan without oil until they smell nice. Put aside.
>> add 2 Tbsp oil to the pan. Heat at medium heat. Add aubergine dices.
>> add garlic and half of the thyme, salt and pepper and roast aubergines gently for 3 minutes, turn them here and there. Take out of the pan and put aside.
 TIP: If you see that the aubergines scorcgh, add a bit of water. But not that much, it should not stay in the pan. It should vapor. if not, you get pulpy aubergines in the end. Not good!

>> prepare Instant Couscous like written on the packaging. Add curcuma, a bit of butter and a pinch of salt to the grains before you add the hot water and cover it so that the heat doesn`t go out.
Normally it is one part Couscous and one part boiled wate.

>> meanwhile, add rest of the oil to the pan, heat on medium heat and roast shallots gently until lightly brown. Add other half of the thyme and sugar and let caramelize (do not stir!). When you see that the shallots get darker, deglaze with Aceto Balsamico and let cook for a few minutes longer, stirring.

>> add Couscous, aubergines and nuts, mix it. Arrange on plates.
>> chop parsley and sprinkle it over your meal.
>> sprinkle with currants/pomegranate pits/blackberry/dried cranberries and some plain yogurt on top


 It should have kind of a lukewarm temperature now. This is perfect!

*Dance around n the kitchen and sing the aubergine song, be happy that you have a wonderful meal!*