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Adding crunch to a bake

13 replies

Fiffyshadesofgreymatter · 07/10/2018 14:45

Hi. Looking for some suggestions to add crunch to a meal.

I make an aubergine and chickpea bake; roast the aubergine for 40 minutes, scoop out flesh and add to a tin of drained chickpeas. In a pan I fry garlic, cumin and coriander then add that to the bowl. Add in a dash of lemon juice and salt and a spoon of gram flour, then mash it all together.
Spread into a tray and top with polenta then bake for 20 minutes.

It's tasty, the kids love it but it needs a bit more texture. What can I add into the mixture to give more of a crunch throughout?

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ThymeCake · 07/10/2018 15:36

I think anything you put in the mixture will go soggy. I'd do a topping of bread crumbs and flaked almonds instead.

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ThymeCake · 07/10/2018 15:37

(It sounds lively, by the way)

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reallybadidea · 07/10/2018 15:38

What about some toasted pinenuts?

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NoProbLlama78 · 07/10/2018 15:41

That sounds really nice I'm going to give that a go. I'd put cheese on top too and maybe pine nuts as a pp said. Do you put the mixture back inside the aubergine?

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reallybadidea · 07/10/2018 15:43

Or how about topping with croutons and maybe cheese? I think they'd go nice and soggy underneath and make the top really crispy.

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BendydickCuminsnatch · 07/10/2018 15:45

Sounds lush, I’ve screenshotted it, thanks!

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Fiffyshadesofgreymatter · 07/10/2018 15:46

My thinking was anything on the inside would just get soggy. But adding pine nuts with the polenta on top sounds good! And maybe serve it with croutons on the side. We usually have salad with it, so croutons would go well on the side of all that.

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Fiffyshadesofgreymatter · 07/10/2018 15:48

@NoProbLlama78

I don't put it back inside the skins. I make a tomato lentil 'curry' and put that inside the skins. Then bake.

We eat the aubergine skin and lentils on that day, and the bake stays in the fridge (as it's very soft). Then I add the polenta topping the following day and bake it.

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