Grilled eggplant and pomegranate vinaigrette

By The Chef March 30, 2013

The eggplant in this dish are enlivened by the tangy flavor of pomegranate seeds. This is wonderful served as part of a mezze-style meal, or as a salad with red onion and feta cheese.

Prep Time : 10 minutes
Cook Time : 10 minutes

Ingredients

extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing - 6 tblsp
pomegranate syrup - 3 tblsp
chopped fresh cilantro sea salt and freshly ground - 3 tblsp
large eggplants, cut into1cm thick slices - 3
black pepper - to taste
very thinly sliced fresh pomegranate seeds, to garnish - 2 shallots

Instructions

1. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, pomegranate syrup, and cilantro, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside until ready to serve.
2. Preheat a grill pan over high heat. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, then grill on both sides until tender.
3. Layer the eggplant slices and shallots in a serving dish, and pour over the vinaigrette. Scatter with fresh pomegranate seeds and serve.

Variation: Use thinly sliced red onion instead of the
shallots and scatter with 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
to make a salad.