Warm Aubergine and Pomegranate Salad

This is a great BBQ side-dish, or delicious served alongside a few slices of this season’s Spring lamb.

You will need:

6 local long thin aubergines, cut in half lengthways
1 red onion, cut into wedges
100ml EV olive oil
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Lemon zest/rind from 1 lemon
1 clove garlic chopped fine
2 teaspoons sumac
Good sized handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
200g feta cheese, cut into small cubes
1 pomegranate
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

And then you need to:

Pre-heat an oven to 200C/400F.

In a small bowl combine half the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and the sumac. Season.

Place the aubergine and onions on a roasting tray and pour over the olive oil mixture. Give it a good toss. Go on, get stuck in and get your hands dirty.

Roast for about 30 minutes, remove from oven and set to one side.

Cut the pomegranate in half across its equator. With one half squeeze as much juice out as you can over a large bowl. Pick out any bits of the white pith that might have fallen in. With the other half holding the cut side down over the same bowl start hitting the skin side with a wooden spoon. Soon all the little seeds will start falling out.

Pour into the pomegranate juice/seeds the remaining olive oil, the balsamic and any juices from the roasting tray.

Arrange the aubergine and onions on a large shallow dish, pour over the pomegranate mixture, sprinkle the feta and the chopped parsley all over and serve.