Garden-chair dining: Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for sweet-and-sour aubergine orzo | Vegetables

Around this time of year, when the sun starts to pop out a bit more, I like my meals to be more sympathetic to my plan to spend as much time outdoors as possible. To do that, they need to be able to (mainly) cook themselves and be eaten, with a bowl in one hand and a fork in the other, while I perch on a garden chair. Happily, this aubergine and pepper orzo, inspired by Italian agrodolce sweet-and-sour dressing, ticks both of those boxes, and in a very tasty way at that.

Sweet-and-sour aubergine orzo

You’ll need two large baking dishes of about 20cm x 30cm. Fresh oregano is fantastic, but if you can’t get hold of any, substitute it with any soft, summery herb – basil or parsley, say – that you do have to hand.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4

2 aubergines (about 700g), cut into 2cm dice
8 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt
2 red onions, peeled and sliced into ½cm-wide half-moons
50g pine nuts
460g jar flame-roasted peppers, drained and cut into 1cm dice – I like Odysea
2 tsp light brown soft sugar
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
2 tbsp brined capers, drained
2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
300g orzo
100g baby spinach, shredded
10g (about 3 tbsp) picked fresh oregano leaves

Heat the oven to 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½. Put the diced aubergine in a large bowl, then add five tablespoons of oil and sprinkle over half a teaspoon of salt. Stir to mix well, then tip into a large baking dish.

Put the sliced onion in a second baking dish, add three tablespoons of oil and a half-teaspoon of salt, stir to coat, then spread out so that the onion pieces are sitting toe-to-toe rather than on top of each other. Put the pine nuts in a small ovenproof dish.

Put both veg dishes in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, adding the pine nuts after 15. When the vegetables have had 25 minutes, take out all three dishes: the aubergines should be soft and brown, the onions reduced and caramelised, and the pine nuts lightly golden.

Tip the aubergines into the onion dish, then stir in the peppers, sugar, vinegar, capers, tomato paste, orzo and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt. Pour over 400ml just-boiled water, then stir gently to mix well. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, lift off the foil, then mix in the shredded spinach, oregano and toasted pine nuts, cover again lightly with the foil and leave to rest for five minutes, until wilted. Distribute between four bowls or plates, and serve.

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