Aubergine & Butter Bean Tacos

Have I mentioned how much I love Mexican food? It’s hard to pick a favourite cuisine with all the amazing food in the world (I took a moment of gratitude for that – it’s not so for everyone). I think Thai comes out on top for me; I genuinely can’t get enough of it. But Mexican would have to be a close second. Especially tacos. Especially tacos with aubergine and beans, because it was Mark’s spontaneous brainchild last night and now I can’t ever imagine eating them another way. The key is in the sauce, but don’t skip the aubergine – really. Even if you don’t normally like aubergine. Mark didn’t either and then we made these.

Side note: these REALLY need guacamole. I bought some but accidentally left it at work, so we had to make do without. Guac would have sent this dish over the edge of perfection. Not a fan of Mexican? Please – allow me to change your life!

Aubergine & Butter Bean Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 can chopped tomatos, blended til smooth
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 small onion
• 2-3 tsp garlic (don’t be shy)
• Mock parmesan*
• Olive oil for cooking
• 250g mushrooms
• Approx 250g aubergines (I used 6 baby aubergines)
• 1 can butter beans
• Generous shake of mixed herbs
• Salt and pepper
• Splash of red wine
• Tacos

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Slice the aubergine into rounds half a centimetre thick and spread out on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until slightly crispy.
2. To make the sauce, saute the onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute before adding tomatoes, stock and mock parmesan. Allow to reduce and thicken, stirring frequently.
3. In another pan, fry the mushrooms in olive oil until they start to turn golden. Add herbs, salt and pepper and red wine and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the mushies are soft and have soaked up all the flavour.
4. Add mushrooms and aubergine to the sauce.
5. Heat up the tacos in the oven according to the package instructions.
6. Serve taco filling in a bowl with hot tacos and a side of guacamole.

*In SA, Nature’s Choice makes Mock Parmesan Cheese, but it’s not widely stocked. I buy mine from Looters in Tokai. However if you can’t find it, it’s super easy to make: simply add 3/4 cup cashews, 3 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp salt to a food processor and process until it forms a fine meal.