Yotam Ottolenghi, the Israeli Chef is all the rage in the U.K. and revered in culinary circles the world over. His partner in love as in life, Sami Tamini is a Palestinian and the two of them own several well known eating establishments in the U.K. which serve a fantastic array of meals respecting both culinary traditions.
You have to admit, a love story across borders does make the heart go pitter patter, even just a little.
In this recipe you'll find Sami Tamimi's technique for getting the seeds out of the pomegranate, which is now a very well-known secret as illustated with great form by the gentleman who is very much not Sami.
BTW, If you are ever in London (and this is on my to do list as well) is to go to their bakery and order the orange polenta cake which I have heard from reliable foodies in one word - exceptional!
And since orange and polenta in a cake is one of my all time favorites, you bet!
Just so you know, I am currently fighting an uphill battle against the onslaught of holiday treats and parties and subsequent effects to my thickening waistline among other things.
Needless to say, I feel a great sense of self-reproach.
And it is in such a moment, that I turn to Yotam Ottolenghi's Eggplant with Buttermilk sauce & Pomegranate.
I mean, what's not to love? All that flavor for what I hope will make up for the three chocolate truffles I had no business eating but ate nevertheless.
Eggplant halves are liberally slathered with olive oil and roasted with thyme. And served with rich 'toum'-like yogurt and garlic sauce and bejewelled with pomegranate rubies.
Like I said, what's not to love? Not to mention, the colors are just perfect for the season!
Gather the ingredients,
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 tbs vinegar, 1-1/2 cup Greek Yogurt - plain, 1/2 tbs chopped garlic, 2 tsp Za'atar (spice blend - I buy mine at Penzey's spices), 2 tbs olive oil
Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. To garnish: seeds of 1 Pomegranate, additional thyme leaves and lashings of olive oil Pre-heat oven to 425 deg F
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 time 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 cold until needed. Once the eggplants are roasted allow them to cool completely. This is important otherwise the yogurt will thin over the eggplant.
Recipe for
Yotam Ottolenghi's Eggplant with Buttermilk sauce & Pomegranate
(Slightly Adapted to suit)
Serves 4 - full servings or 8 small plate servings
Preparation time – 15 minutes
Roasting time: 40 minutes
Cooling time: 30 minutes
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 tbs vinegar1-1/2 cup Greek Yogurt - plain
1/2 tbs chopped garlic
2 tsp Za'atar (spice blend - I buy mine at Penzey's spices)
2 tbs olive oil To garnish: seeds of 1 Pomegranate additional thyme leaves and lashings of olive oilPreparation:
Pre-heat oven to 425 deg F
Eggplants: Halve lengthwise keeping stem intact for presentation. Using a sharp paring knife, make a criss-cross 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 in seconds using Sami Tamimi's technique shown in you-tube video below! (btw guy in the video is not Sami Tamimi - just so you know though he's done a great job!) 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 or a rolling pin 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 time 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 cold 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!
