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Roasted Eggplant with Pomegranate Sauce

(recipe, Katie Hickey)

Ingredients

  1. 2 (1½ pounds total weight) long Japanese eggplants
  2. Olive oil
  3. For the sauce
  4. 2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
  5. 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  6. 1 small garlic clove, crushed with ½ teaspoon salt
  7. ¼ tsp. sugar
  8. 1½ Tbsp. olive oil
  9. ½ tsp. sea salt
  10. 2 to 3 Tbsp. shredded fresh mint (spearmint is best, she says)
  11. 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
  12. 2 Tbsp. fresh pomegranate seeds (optional)

Steps

  1. Oven set to 425, lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil. Cut the eggplants on the bias into ½-inch thick slices and spread them out on the prepared backing sheet in one layer. Brush with a bit more olive oil and bake on each side for around 12 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the slices to a shallow dish.
  2. In a small bowl combine the first 6 ingredients for the sauce and drizzle it over the eggplant. Top with the last 3 ingredients, cover with plastic wrap and let stand until ready to serve. This can be done the day before, the eggplant placed in the refrigerator to macerate, but bring to room temperature before serving.