Okra and Chickpea Bake

INGREDIENTS

120ml olive oil
3 banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 red chillies, finely chopped
1½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1 tbsp tomato paste
480g cooked chickpeas (tinned will do), drained
800g tinned chopped tomatoes
2 tsp caster sugar
Shaved skin of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper
600g okra, stems trimmed without exposing the seeds
20g oregano leaves, roughly chopped
200g feta, broken into 2cm pieces
30g picked flat-leaf parsley, very finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon, plus 1½ tbsp juice

METHOD

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Pour two tablespoons of oil into a large saute pan on a medium-high heat. Add the shallots, saute for three minutes, stirring regularly, then add the garlic, chillies and cumin seeds. Cook for another minute, then add the tomato paste and cook for a minute, stirring to combine. Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, sugar, shaved lemon skin, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Add 400ml water, stir, reduce the heat to low, cover and leave to bubble gently for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the okra in a large bowl with three tablespoons of oil and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Put a large saute pan on a high heat, add half the okra and sear for six minutes, turning regularly, until lightly charred all over. Remove from the pan, repeat with the remaining batch and then, once all the okra is seared, add it and the oregano to the chickpea pan. Stir gently, tip into a large 20cm x 30cm gratin dish and dot with the feta, submerging the cheese in the tomatoey juices. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until bubbling, then remove; leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix the parsley, lemon zest and juice, the remaining three tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt. Spoon this over the baked okra and serve.

By Ottolenghi
Recipe source