Yotam Ottolenghi |Roasted Eggplants with Yogurt & Pomegranate

Many of you have likely heard of London chef Yotam Ottolenghi. His restaurants and cookbooks have become culinary landmarks, not just in London but across the food world.

In this recipe, you’ll find a very clever now-famous technique for removing the seeds from a pomegranate. And if you ever find yourself in London (high on my own culinary wish list), make a point of visiting one of their bakeries and ordering the orange polenta cake. I’ve heard from very reliable food lovers that it can be summed up in a single word: exceptional.

Since orange and polenta happen to be one of my favorite cake combinations, it’s firmly on my must-try list the next time I'm in London.

As someone who loves eggplant in almost any form, this particular dish immediately caught my attention. Eggplant halves are generously brushed with olive oil and roasted with thyme until meltingly tender. They’re then served with a rich yogurt-garlic sauce reminiscent of toum and finished with a scattering of jewel-like pomegranate seeds.

The result is a dish that works beautifully as a side or appetizer—or even as a light main when paired with a simple green or chickpea salad. What’s not to love? And those colors alone make it a perfect dish for the season

warmly

Devaki

Recipe for

Yotam Ottolenghi | Roasted Eggplants with Yogurt & Pomegranate Serves 4 full servings/8 small plate servings Shopping list: 4 qty glossy purple Italian eggplants (smaller than the usual sized eggplants) 1-1/2 fresh thyme leaves 1/2 cup olive oil for each eggplant - 1/2 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp ground black pepper Sauce: 1/2 cup milk

1/2 tbsp. vinegar 1-1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 1/2 tbsp. chopped garlic 2 tsp Za'atar (spice blend - I buy mine at Penzey's spices) 2 tbsp. olive oil

To garnish:

seeds of Pomegranate

thyme leaves and lashings of olive oil

Preparation: Pre-heat oven to 425 deg. F.

Eggplants: Halve lengthwise keeping stem intact for presentation. Using a sharp paring knife, make a crisscross pattern on the cut side of each eggplant half, without piercing through to the skin. In the end each eggplant flesh should be scored with a diamond-shaped pattern.

Thyme: Separate the leaves from the stalk and set aside.

Pomegranate: De-seed the pomegranate. Cut the pomegranate into two horizontally. Hold one half over a bowl, with the cut side against your palm, and use the back of a wooden spoon to gently knock on the pomegranate skin. Continue beating with increasing power until the seeds start coming out naturally and falling through your fingers into the bowl. Once all are there, sift through the seeds to remove any bits of white skin or membrane.

Method: Line a 11" x 17" jelly roll pan or baking tray with parchment paper.

Place the eggplant cut side up on the sheet. Using a pastry brush, liberally brush olive all over the cut side face of the eggplant. Repeat 3 times so all the olive oil is absorbed by the eggplant. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme leaves.

Roast in the hot oven for 35-40 minutes until the eggplants are soft and tender and the bottoms are brown.

Meanwhile, To make the sauce, whisk together all of the ingredients. Taste for seasoning, then keep refrigerate until needed.

Once the eggplants are roasted allow them to cool completely. This is important otherwise the yogurt will thin over the eggplant.

Assemble: To serve, spoon plenty of buttermilk sauce over the eggplant halves without covering the stalks. Sprinkle plenty of pomegranate seeds on top and garnish with thyme. Finish with lashings of olive oil.

Enjoy!

#Sautéed #SwissChard #Pine Nuts #goldenraisins #leafygreens #sides #vegetarian #lowcarb