Grilled Eggplant With Pomegranate Molasses
GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES
SERVES 4
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INGREDIENTS:
1 medium-large globe eggplant, about 1 pound, ends trimmed or 1 ¼ pounds baby eggplant
2 teaspoons kosher salt (optional)
3 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, divided
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, small ones left whole, larger ones sliced
Toasted pine nuts and/or crumbled feta (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Slice the eggplant into ½-inch rounds. (If you are using baby eggplants, just halve them through the stem.) If you have time, salt the slices: arrange the slices in one layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle the tops of each slice with kosher salt. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes until the eggplant slices have “sweated.” About 15 minutes before you want to cook the eggplant, preheat the grill to medium.
Rinse the eggplant and squeeze dry between two paper towels. Arrange them once again on the same baking sheet. Use 2 tablespoons of the oil to brush both sides of each eggplant slice. Sprinkle with pepper to taste.
Place eggplant slices on grill and cook until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes, but it could take less time depending on temperature of your grill. Flip over and cook other side.
Arrange eggplant on a platter by slightly overlapping them. Cover platter with aluminum foil and allow eggplant to steam to further soften, about 10 minutes.
Remove foil and drizzle eggplant with remaining tablespoon of oil, pomegranate molasses and garnish with mint leaves. You can add toasted pine nuts, as well as crumbled feta.
If you can’t find pomegranate molasses, use aged balsamic vinegar.
Salting eggplants prior to cooking them may reduce possible bitterness, but I also like to do this because it helps soften the flesh.
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It seems like today everyone has a dietary restriction or an aversion to some sort of food. Or, if you’re like us you have friends who are vegan or loved ones who have a gluten allergy. It can be hard to entertain while making sure your loved ones are healthy and happy and will return to your place for the next luncheon or dinner party In our case, we value time with our friends and like to get together once-a-month for a game night and we want to provide healthy but trendy snacks while yelling, “Yahtzee!” or arguing over whether, “refudiate,” is a word.
A “go-to” recipe for us is grilled eggplant with pomegranate molasses. Before this recipe we had never thought to grill eggplant and we especially wouldn’t think to pair it with molasses but alas here we are with our new favorite summer treat and our friends who request it every time. We love how tender and lush this recipe is. When grilled to perfection our friends are using words such as, “heavenly,” “juicy.” and, “exquisite.” We don’t disagree with them, we can’t get enough of this appetizer ourselves. We serve this exquisite dish with a side of pomegranate molasses but sometimes we skip the dip and drizzle it right onto the eggplant pieces. This sauce brings additional flavor and adds a tasty zing to the grilled eggplant, so naturally we always bring a few extra sides of it for our guests to devour.
Our snacks for game night are legendary, just try this recipe for yourself and you be the judge, but we know you’re curious as to what we wear to a simple game night at home. It technically counts as a “night in,” but entertaining five or more people quickly becomes an event. We decide to layer our Prizm Ring Set for a fresh take on mixing metals. Each ring differs in detailing and adds its own flavor to my accessories. Following this trend, we layer a couple necklaces, the 18K Yellow Gold Nailhead Necklace is the perfect dainty necklace and paired with the Bronze Paper Chain Necklace we have the ultimate layering combination. After all, we still have to remain stylish even when we’re fighting to the death in Monopoly, right?
xo
SS
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