First posted: Aug 5, 2015
Aubergine, Pine Nut and Labneh Salad
This is another recipe that I’m revisiting from Sarah Graham Cooks Cape Town – we cooked it with the ever-clever, lovely and witty Ishay in Episode 9. Ishay is a fellow food-blogger, and also an amazing travel writing globe-trotter. She’s been to some ridiculously wonderful and interesting places, I’d hope over to her blog for a read if you have a minute, the link is below.
I always get excited about recipes where Aubergines are the hero of the dish, because they are the one thing that I can’t convince Rob to eat, and so I don’t cook them very often. This, though, met with his approval – how could it now when you have that spicy lemony-ness of the sumac, the beautiful pomegranate rubies nestled amongst the roasted nearly-caramelised aubergine, and the little creamy mouthfuls of labneh (Middle-Eastern yoghurt ‘cheese’)?
Ingredients
Cooks in: Serves:4
- 2 large aubergines
- 2 Tbsp sumac
- 1 Tbsp dried chilli flakes
- Olive oil
- Sea salt flakes, to taste
- 2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted until lightly golden and fragrant (or use slivered almonds or pistachio nuts)
- About 20 mint leaves, rinsed
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 10 small labneh balls (or ricotta)
- Pomegranate Molasses, to taste
- Pomegranate seeds (arils), to garnish
What to do
1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Slice the aubergines into discs, about 1cm thick 2. Season with the chilli, sumac, salt and pepper and olive oil and lay them flat on a baking tray 3. Oven roast for 35-45 minutes until cooked through and golden. Remove from the oven and lay out on a platter. 4. Top with the toasted pine nuts, mint leaves, lemon zest labneh and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses. Finish off with a scattering of pomegranate seeds and serve immediately.
Vegetables
