Couscous and veges

All vegetarian with mid-east flavour.

Ingredients

1 kg	Butternut pumpkin, diced
1	Leek, 1cm slices
1 handful	Chopped fresh coriander, or Parsley
1 medium	Eggplant, 2cm cubes
1 tin	Chickpeas, retain its water
250 g	Shallots, peeled and quartered
1 tsp	Caraway seed, powder
1 tsp	Cumin, powder
1 tsp	Coriander, powder
3 cloves	Garlic, crushed
4 Tbsp	Olive oil
100 g	Lemon zest, grated
1 packet	Couscous, coarse (Main)
2 cubes	Vegetable stock, crumbled
2 tsp	Turmeric, powder

Directions

1. Pre heat oven to 180 C. Roast pumpkin cubes and Leek slices with a sprinkle of olive oil and lemon pepper. Allow leeks to brown slightly. Mix with a litre of water and blend together. Sprinkle coriander or parsley over soup bowls.
2. Sprinkle eggplant cubes with salt and leave for one hour. Drain water and gently wash the cubes. Roast eggplants and shallots at 180 C until shallots start to caramelize. This can be done in the same oven with the pumpkin but in a separate dish. Heat chick peas on stove top with its own water from the tin. Add the coriander, cumin and caraway powders along with the crushed garlic, oil and lemon zest. Cook on a moderate heat to a thin paste while stirring frequently. Then add the roasted eggplant and shallots.
3. Get Trade Aid's Palestinian Couscous which is coarse and darker than the usual couscous. Follow the packet instructions for preparation of the couscous and use the whole packet of couscous. When boiling the water, add the vegetable stock cubes and the turmeric. The stock cubes should have enough salt in them but you can add salt to taste for all three dishes. Soup in bowls with plates of couscous around a centre of eggplant, chickpeas and shallots.