Indian style casserole

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 gr. can/n broad beans, approx. 800 g each
• 1 eggplant(s)
• 1 can mushrooms, approx. 290 g each
• 2 onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 tbsp almonds, ground
• 400 g leaf spinach
• 4 slices of mild goat cheese or Gouda
• 150 ml water
• 1 cup of sour cream, approx. 200 g each
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp paprika powder, hot
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper
• 4 tbsp sesame oil from roasted sesame or alternatively olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes

with broad beans, eggplant, spinach and mushrooms

Measure the spices and ground almonds and place them on a small plate. Finely dice the onions, press the garlic cloves or chop them very finely. Drain the beans and mushrooms well. Thaw the spinach or, if fresh, trim and wash it, and remove any coarse stems. Dice the eggplant into pieces about 1 cm in size. Place the beans in a large casserole dish, scatter the diced eggplant over the top, and set the dish aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan and fry the mushrooms well. Add the onions and let them brown slightly. Add the garlic and tomato paste and fry briefly. Push everything to the side with a spatula, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the center, and add the spices and ground almonds. Fry briefly, about 30 seconds, turning constantly. Be careful not to overcook the almonds, or they will become bitter. Deglaze the almonds and spices with the water and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to half and add the spinach. Cover and simmer until the spinach has wilted. This takes about 5-10 minutes, depending on the amount. Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream thoroughly. The mixture should be covered in a creamy sauce; if it’s too runny, add another 1-2 tablespoons of ground almonds and stir well again. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish over the beans and eggplant, arrange the cheese slices on top, and bake the casserole on the middle rack at 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit) top and bottom heat for about 20 minutes. Preheating is not necessary. The eggplant will still have a bit of bite. If you don’t like that, leave the casserole in the oven for an extra 5 minutes. This goes well with farmhouse bread, garlic bread, rice, or simply nothing at all; in that case, the recipe will only serve 3 people.