A lovely salad, easy on the prepwork, and super tasty. Be sure to use the long thin eggplants, and not the globe variety. You do not need to peel the eggplant, but the brief rest will help reduce some of the natural moisture in the fruit.
Be patient with the roasting: don't stir the veggies while they are roasting. Let them really cook down. No stirring! I like to add other veggies to the eggplant, too, while roasting. Below is the same salad but I added carrots to the eggplant while roasting.
This salad sits nicely in the fridge, and makes an excellent take-away lunch option.
Roasted Eggplant Salad
Yield: 4 - 5 servings
Ingredients
1¾ - 2 pounds Japanese eggplant, cut into 3/4- to 1-inch pieces
Salt and black pepper
1/4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 T lemon juice
1 T red wine vinegar
2 T pomegranate molasses
1 garlic clove, grated or finely chopped
16 ounces tomatoes, roughly chopped into bite-size pieces
1 1/2 cup chopped herbs, such as parsley and/or cilantro and/or mint
1/4 cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
3 T pomegranate seeds, optional
Directions
Heat the oven to 475°F with a rack in the lowest position. Lightly oil a baking sheet; set aside.
In a large colander set over a large bowl, toss the eggplant with 1¼ teaspoons salt. Let stand for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally to encourage the liquid to drain. Using your hands, gently squeeze the eggplant to remove as much water as possible. Discard the liquid. Return the eggplant to the large bowl and toss with the oil, allspice and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Distribute the eggplant in a single layer on prepared baking sheet; reserve the bowl. Roast, undisturbed, until the eggplant releases easily from the baking sheet and the pieces are golden brown all over, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in the large bowl, stir together the lemon juice, vinegar, pomegranate molasses and garlic. Gently fold in the cooled eggplant and tomatoes. Toss in the parsley and mint, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with almonds and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!
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