Eggplant pilaf with raisins and pine nuts

Yesterday I got back from a short holiday to the Cotswolds, England, where I have tasted a few English classics. Though they were very nice, I'm happy to be cooking my own, lighter meals, again. This Turkish eggplant pilaf has become a classic in my house, for I make it very often whenever I'm in a hurry or just craving for comfort food. Nothing beats the combination of lovely scented basmati rice, warming cinnamon, sweet raisins and soft eggplant, kept in balance with some tangy lemon juice en sharp flavoured coriander seeds. Though in the original recipe an ordinary onion is used, I'm still dealing with the FODMAP-low diet and haven't been eating onions yet. Therefore I used the green part of spring onions, which do the job just as fine. Ingredients, serves 2-3 - 250g basmati rice - 1/2 can tomato pulp - 2 eggplants, cut in 1,5 cm pieces - 2-3 spring onions, the green part, roughly chopped (or one ordinary onion) - a fistful of raisins - 1 big tablespoon of pine nuts - 1 big tsp of coriander seeds - 1 tsp of dried dill - 1 tsp of ground cinnamon - juice of 1/2 lemon - a bunch of flat leaved parsley or a few mint leaves, chopped - extra vergine olive oil - salt and black pepper Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius. Cover a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the eggplant pieces. Drizzle some olive oil over them and season with salt. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add spring onions, pine nuts and coriander seeds and fry for a minute or two. Stir in the tomato pulp, dill, cinnamon, raisins and some black pepper and let simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the rice, season with salt and cover everything with 600mL water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Let it simmer until all the water is gone and the rice is cooked (±15 minutes). Remove from heat and let it rest until the eggplant is soft. Transfer the rice to a serving dish and adjust the seasoning. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley (or mint). Finally, carefully add the eggplant and toss gently. Serve hot or at room temperature with a nice green salad. Enjoy!