Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce and Pomegranate
Today is a special day. I have reason to celebrate today and am feeling grateful and in an especially festive mood, so I’m going to share with you one of the best recipes I’ve come across so far. I made it last night.
The funny thing is that until quite recently when I was lucky enough to enjoy a beautiful eggplant dish made for me by a dear friend of mine, I was convinced I didn’t even like eggplant. I don’t know what I was thinking. I bought a stunning purple and white striped version and set out to see what else I could do with it. This Ottolenghi recipe looked to good not to try, and it turns out it tastes as good as it looks. I adjusted the recipe just a little - I didn’t have fresh buttermilk so made a substitute, I added some tahini, and the result was incredible. I literally ended up licking my plate.
Ingredients (serves 2 if you give each person 1/2 an eggplant. I ate this as a main and had the whole thing myself):
1 egg plant (aubergine)
seeds of 1/2 pomegranate
1/4 cup Greek yoghurt
1/4 cup buttermilk* (I used 1/4 cup regular milk and 3/4 teaspoon vinegar)
3/4 tablespoon olive oil, plus some more to drizzle over the eggplant before it goes in the oven
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon tahini
za’atar
few sprigs lemon thyme (or regular thyme if you can’t find any)
salt and freshly ground black pepper.
*** If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use the substitute I made - take some regular milk, add some vinegar or lemon juice, and set aside for half an hour or so to let it thicken. The proportions needed are 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup milk. (I needed less, for I only had 1/4 cup of milk - and 1/4 tablespoon = 3/4 teaspoon)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
1. Through the middle of the stem, cut the eggplant in half. (You won’t be eating the stem, but it looks better that way). Placing the flesh side up, cut parallel lines diagonally across being careful not to cut the skin. Now, cut parallel lines in the opposite direction so that a diamond design forms on the flesh.
2. Place the eggplant flesh side up on a parchment-lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and brush until it has been absorbed by the skin. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until browned and soft.
3. Whisk together the buttermilk, Greek yoghurt, tahini, olive oil and minced garlic. Taste and season with salt.
4. When the eggplant is ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely. Then, top royally with the milk mixture, letting it seep into the diamond cuts. Sprinkle with za’atar, then with the pomegranate seeds, and garnish with thyme.
The funny thing is that until quite recently when I was lucky enough to enjoy a beautiful eggplant dish made for me by a dear friend of mine, I was convinced I didn’t even like eggplant. I don’t know what I was thinking. I bought a stunning purple and white striped version and set out to see what else I could do with it. This Ottolenghi recipe looked to good not to try, and it turns out it tastes as good as it looks. I adjusted the recipe just a little - I didn’t have fresh buttermilk so made a substitute, I added some tahini, and the result was incredible. I literally ended up licking my plate.
Ingredients (serves 2 if you give each person 1/2 an eggplant. I ate this as a main and had the whole thing myself):
1 egg plant (aubergine)
seeds of 1/2 pomegranate
1/4 cup Greek yoghurt
1/4 cup buttermilk* (I used 1/4 cup regular milk and 3/4 teaspoon vinegar)
3/4 tablespoon olive oil, plus some more to drizzle over the eggplant before it goes in the oven
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon tahini
za’atar
few sprigs lemon thyme (or regular thyme if you can’t find any)
salt and freshly ground black pepper.
*** If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use the substitute I made - take some regular milk, add some vinegar or lemon juice, and set aside for half an hour or so to let it thicken. The proportions needed are 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup milk. (I needed less, for I only had 1/4 cup of milk - and 1/4 tablespoon = 3/4 teaspoon)
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
1. Through the middle of the stem, cut the eggplant in half. (You won’t be eating the stem, but it looks better that way). Placing the flesh side up, cut parallel lines diagonally across being careful not to cut the skin. Now, cut parallel lines in the opposite direction so that a diamond design forms on the flesh.
2. Place the eggplant flesh side up on a parchment-lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and brush until it has been absorbed by the skin. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until browned and soft.
3. Whisk together the buttermilk, Greek yoghurt, tahini, olive oil and minced garlic. Taste and season with salt.
4. When the eggplant is ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely. Then, top royally with the milk mixture, letting it seep into the diamond cuts. Sprinkle with za’atar, then with the pomegranate seeds, and garnish with thyme.
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