Comments are closed.
Chermoula Roasted Eggplant
I grew up mostly vegetarian, so I have always felt veggies deserved star placement on the table — but this one really shines!
Chermoula is a delicious, herby North African sauce that I’ve adapted to the ingredients I had in my kitchen (lemon, parsley, garlic, cumin, and paprika, oh my!) that I slather on eggplant as it roasts, yielding a richly flavorful, creamy flesh that creates the ideal base for nutty farro (or brown rice!), a scattering of fresh herbs, and sweet-tart pomegranate seeds for a burst of sweetness. I dollop lemony yogurt overtop just to keep it all extra luscious.
Hearty, filling, stick to your ribs — and totally meatless!! Enjoy!
Chermoula Roasted Eggplant
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For the Chermoula:
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons toasted coriander seeds
1 teaspoon red chile flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 cup parsley leaves and tender stems (or ½ cup parsley and ½ cup cilantro)
2 tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon or organic lemon peel
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
For the Eggplant:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium-large eggplants, cut in half lengthwise
1 cup farro, cooked according to package instructions
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup pitted green olives, chopped
½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped dill
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions:
•Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Score the cut side of the eggplants in a crisscross pattern using a paring knife. Brush evenly with ¼ cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes until golden brown and fairly tender.
•Meanwhile, cook the farro and make the chermoula. For the farro, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the farro and cook according to package directions, about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse until cool water.
•For the chermoula, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment or the carafe of a blender, add the garlic, cumin, coriander seeds, chile flakes, sweet paprika, parsley, preserved lemon and olive oil. Blend until pretty smooth and season with salt.
•Evenly spread the chermoula over each eggplant and return to the oven to roast for another 10 minutes until the eggplant is very tender.
•While finishing the eggplant, in a large bowl combine the farro, mint, walnuts, lemon juice, pomegranate seeds, and olives and season with salt and pepper. Top each eggplant half with the farro salad.
•In a small bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, dill and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Dollop the yogurt mixture on top of the farro and serve.
COMMENTS