Guilt - 1, Greed - 1

I was standing in the bathroom examining myself in the critical eye of my full-length mirror (Note to self: Diffused lighting.) when Hips started her usual palaver. She?s easy enough to drown out when I?m chewing for some reason, but Posterior snuck in a couple of her own jibes. So grab a towel already! Then Guilt reared her smug, self-righteous little head, and Greed knew that all was lost. She?s a tough one to ignore, Guilt is; all sweetness and sympathy wrapped up in pure cunning. So I promised her that I would Get Healthy.

Greed slinked away to plot.


100 grams of boiled chickpeas contain 164 calories, 2.6 grams of fat (of which only 0.27 grams is saturated), 7.6 grams of dietary fiber and 8.9 grams of protein. With some Preserved Lemons and the last of the Ras el Hanout, even Greed was appeased. Especially since some lamb mysteriously found its way into the dish.

Moroccan-ish Chickpeas, Eggplant and Lamb

Tenderly massage an 800g lamb shoulder with two tablespoons of Ras el Hanout, another two tablespoons of yoghurt and a little preserved lemon - a generous quarter, minced should do the trick. Place the lamb in the fridge for several hours (four is good, eight is perfect) while you do Meaningful Things.


A couple of hours before dinner, chuck 250g of chickpeas in an earthenware baking dish, along with a chopped medium-sized eggplant, a handful of chopped coriander and some black pepper. Nestle the lamb into the vegetables, and roast at 200C for half an hour or until the lamb is browned. Then cover, and cook at 170C for another hour, or until the lamb is fork tender. Season with salt if necessary.

Tips:

1) Tinned chickpeas are often pre-salted. Wash and drain thoroughly, and go easy on the salt after.
2 If you're using dried chickpeas, soak them in water overnight, then wash and drain.
3) An earthenware dish is usually soaked in water prior to using. As your dish roasts, steam is released to keep your food moist.


As you serve your lamb - with some flat bread to mop up the pan juices - entertain your guests with fascinating chickpea trivia. Did you know, for example, that chickpeas are one of the earliest cultivated vegetables? Oh yes. 7,500-year-old remains have been found in the Middle East. And this: In days of old, chickpeas were associated with Venus because they were believed to increase sperm and milk production. Not quite dinner conversation? How about this then? In 1793, ground roasted chickpeas were often used as a coffee substitute in Europe. Fascinating stuff, I know. Thankfully, the lamb, oh pardon me, chickpeas are so scrummy you'll be lost for words anyway.

For another variation of this dish, go here.
To make your own preserved lemons, you'll find out how here.
To give Ras el Hanout a go, try this.
You could even, heaven forbid, make your own yoghurt.


Now I don't know about you, but I'm tired of my yummies looking decidedly not. So I've been doing some research, and if you come back in a couple of days I'll have some photography tips from The Experts. There'll be cake.

Meanwhile, check out Zorra's round-up which should be up in a couple of days, and the results of Ivy and Vals' commendable effort to promote world hunger awareness.