Moroccan Grilled Eggplant with Tomato Sauce

Contemporary Vegetarian

This was a pretty tasty dish. An interesting spin on a veggie lasagna - grilled eggplant slices resembling lasagna noodles.
This combination of spices and seasoning were very unusual for me, but surprisingly delicious.

Moroccan Grilled Eggplant with Tomato Sauce

Sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion , finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
28 oz (796 ml) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup (250ml) dry white wine or veg stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp each ground cinnamon, cumin and coriander
1/4 cup golden seedless raisins
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped

Heat oil in large saucepan with tight fitting lid. Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté until soft and onion is slightly golden. Add tomatoes, wine/stock and paste. Bring to a boil. Cover,reduce heat to simmer and cook gently for 20 min. Remove lid. Stir in cinnamon, cumin, coriander and raisins. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered for 15 min, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup fresh coriander.

2 eggplants
2 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/3 cup pine nuts
Olive oil for brushing

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Trim stem from eggplants and slice lengthwise into 1/4-in slices. Brush both sides with oil. Grill on BBQ until golden and softened, or lightly brown slices in frying pan. Remove to a baking sheet and set aside. To serve, spread a ladle of sauce over bottom of12 cup baking dish to coat. Cover with a single layer of eggplant slices. Repeat layers ending with sauce. Overlap tomato slices on top and sprinkle with pine nuts. Bake for 30 min. Allow to rest for a few min. Sprinkle with remaining coriander and serve.