Vegetarian aubergine gorditas
“Gordita” roughly translates into “little fatty” and refers to the shape of these short, fat Mexican pasties that can be stuffed with a variety of fillings. An ideal weekend meal to share with friends.
Ingredients
For the roast aubergine
- 1 large aubergine, cut into small chunks
- 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- ½ red pepper, seeds removed and thinly sliced
- 30g/1oz demerara sugar
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- ½ lime, juice only
- ½ bunch fresh coriander, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chipotle sauce
- 50g/1Âľoz dried chipotle chillies, halved
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- dash Tabasco sauce
- 2 green chillies, stems removed
- 200ml/7fl oz boiling water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 25ml/1fl oz white wine vinegar
- 25ml/1fl oz balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- ½ tbsp soy sauce
- 90g/3oz demerara sugar
- ½ lime, juice only
For the refried beans
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 400g tin mixed beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ small bunch fresh coriander, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
- ½ small bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
For the salsa
- ½ small bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped
- ½ red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
- ½ lime, juice only
- 1 tomato, finely chopped
For the gorditas
- 250g/9oz masa harina cornflour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 200–250ml/7–9fl oz hot water
- 250ml/9fl oz olive oil
- salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
To make the roast aubergine, put the aubergine in a roasting tin with two garlic cloves and the thyme. Season with salt and pepper and coat in the oil. Roast for 30–40 minutes, turning every so often, until soft and golden.
Meanwhile, to make the chipotle sauce, bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Reduce the heat, add the chipotle chillies and simmer for 15 minutes.
While the chillies cook, put the onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, cumin seeds, Tabasco, green chillies, boiling water, 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor. Blend for about 5 minutes, or until you have a paste.
Drain the chipotle chillies, add them to the food processor, then blend again.
Spoon the chilli paste back into the saucepan with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Cook for 2 minutes over a medium heat. Stir in the vinegars, tomato purée, soy sauce, sugar and lime juice. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until a paste-like consistency is reached. Taste to see if more salt or sugar is needed and remove from the heat.
To make the refried beans, heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the onion for 5–10 minutes, or until starting to turn golden. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for 1 minute. Add the drained pulses, coriander stalks and a tablespoon of the chipotle sauce. Cook for 10–12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the coriander leaves and parsley.
To finish the roast aubergine, heat a splash of oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Peel and crush the remaining garlic and add to the pan. Fry for 2 minutes before adding the tomatoes, red pepper, sugar and tomato purée. Bring to the boil, season and simmer until reduced by a third. Add 5 tablespoons of the chipotle sauce, the lime juice and coriander stalks and bring back to the boil. Finally, add the roast aubergine and coriander leaves and check the seasoning.
Mix all the salsa ingredients together and set aside.
To make the gorditas, combine the masa harina cornflour, baking powder and a good pinch of salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and slowly add the hot water until you have a workable dough. Shape into eight pieces and roll each one into a 10cm/4in circle.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the gorditas in batches for 2–3 minutes, turning, until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
Serve the gorditas with the warm aubergine sauce, refried beans, salsa and extra chipotle sauce, if you wish.
