Eggplants in a pomegranate and walnut sauce

October 21, 2011  •  Category:

 

This eggplant dish is meatless however it will leave you totally satiated. The walnuts and bulgur do the trick: Paired  with fresh pomegranate juice, pomegranate molasses,  garlic and a touch of cinnamon, they deliver depth of flavor and a sweet/tart taste.


I came up with this last summer but go back to it whenever it is pomegranate season; the stuffing can include rice or breadcrumbs or other grains instead of bulgur. Yogurt is a topping that my daughter thought of and it worked very well.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 to 6 eggplants, preferably the long and skinny ones
  • 1/2  cup of fine bulgur (#1)
  • 1 cup of walnuts, chopped coarsely
  • 3 cloves of garlic, mashed in a mortar with a teaspoon of salt
  • 3 tbsp of pomegranate molasses
  • 1/4 tsp of cinnamon or allspice
  • 1/4 cup of brown sugar
  • 1 tsp of Aleppo pepper or 1 red chili pepper depending on taste
  • 8 oz (1 cup) of fresh pomegranate juice (or bottled)
  • olive oil, as needed
  • yogurt if desired

METHOD:

  1. Peel the eggplants with a vegetable peeler; sprinkle with salt and let them drain some juice for a while (30 minutes or longer). To make pomegranate juice, place pomegranate arils  in a food processor, pulse a few seconds and drain through a sieve collecting the juice and pressing on the seeds with a meat mallet. Mix the juice with the pomegranate molasses and the brown sugar.
  2. Mash the garlic, chop the walnuts. Soak the bulgur in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes and drain, squeezing the excess water out. Mix the bulgur, walnuts, garlic, cinnamon and Aleppo pepper in a small bowl.
  3. Dry the eggplants and fry in hot oil until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes or so. Drain on paper towels and with a knife, score the eggplants in the middle lengthwise; insert the stuffing with a spoon.
  4. Place the eggplants in a skillet, add the pomegranate juice and cover. If you have stuffing leftover, add it to the pomegranate sauce (it will give the sauce some body); simmer over gentle heat for 40 minutes or until the eggplants are extra tender and soft. Serve warm or at room temperature with some yogurt if desired.

 


Comments

33 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Oui, Chef says:

    Oohhh….I’ve got some cooked barley in my fridge, and may use that instead of the bulgur and make this over the weekend. Looks delicious!

  2. Rosa says:

    That is a wonderful dish and great combination! I love your plate/bowl.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  3. Devaki says:

    Oh my goodness! This is a wonderful creation – so elegant & filling – not to mention FULL of nuitrition. I love stuffed eggplants in all forms and fashion 🙂

    chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

  4. Eve@CheapEthnicEatz says:

    Beautiful creation and I can see how filling and satisfying it would be. So nice with the pomegranate too. And the topping of yogurt was a great idea you daughter had.

  5. Arlette says:

    A very nice recipe Joumana… I like the combinations
    you are still here I thought you are leaving… I might visit
    Orlando in the Spring of 2012, I will let you know….

  6. Juls says:

    I loooooooove the sound of this dish! Unfortunately, my partner has an ongoing vendetta against aubergine/eggplant. Would it work if I substituted the aubergine for squash? (Seeing as he has a vendetta against courgettes and peppers as well. Stupid boy.)

  7. Mercotte says:

    en vrai toutes les recettes d’aubergine sont à mettre soigneusement de côté, j’aime !

  8. Angie's Recipes says:

    Gorgeous! I love the flavour!

  9. Ruby says:

    OMG this looks and sounds amazing. So many flavours I love – I’m bookmarking it for next week’s menu!

  10. skip to malou says:

    those eggplants looks like a spoon/scoop that is full of flavors that will surely explode in your mouth… yum!

  11. Carolyn says:

    I made this tonight exactly as your recipe says and it was amazing. We enjoyed every last spoonful! I served it with a side of steamed basmati rice and fresh olives and bread that we picked up from our local Lebanese market/bakery. This is one I will make again – but next time I’ll make it for my Lebanese in-laws who I know will really enjoy it!

  12. Hyma Bala says:

    this is such a different way to cook eggplants…will deftly try it! thx for the idea

  13. Rachel K says:

    I love aubergine and this sounds divine. I’m bookmarking this one too!

  14. domi says:

    Délicieuses ces aubergines en salées , sucrées….bisous

  15. Nadji says:

    J’ai dû mal jusqu’à présent à trouver de bonnes grenades.
    Celles que nous avons viennent surtout d’Espagne et le goût n’est pas terrible.
    J’adore l’aubergine et cette version me plait beaucoup. Je note la recette.
    A très bientôt

  16. H.R. says:

    It looks absolutely delish. I am sure it must taste brilliant too.

  17. Cherine says:

    I love eggplants and this must taste sooo good.

  18. Chiara says:

    this sounds amazing Joumana!

  19. Alaiyo Kiasi says:

    I’m oddly attracted to pomegranates. When I was a child, they grew wildly in our yard, and I pretended they were Garden-of-Eden trees. Anyway, all of the ingredients in this dish individually, but you’ve put them together in one beautiful and intriguing dish. It’s beautiful.

    Alaiyo

  20. Alaiyo Kiasi says:

    Geez, I left a word out. I meant I LIKE all of the ingredients in your dish individually, but you’ve put them together in one beautiful and intriguing dish.

    Alaiyo

  21. Katie@Cozydelicious says:

    These look so yummy! I bought some little Brazilian eggplant at the farmer’s market (had never seen them before, so bright red and pretty) and I might try them with this recipe. It will be so colorful with the pomegranates.

  22. s says:

    J- you are using all my fave ingredients- esp aubergine and pomegranate. and i love the bowl. x s

  23. sare says:

    I love things, made with pomegranate. Last year I made my pomegranate juice for salads. I t was perfect.
    Thank you for sharing us.

  24. Richa@HobbyandMore says:

    never thought of adding pomegranate to eggplant.. the dish looks suberb.. and all the goodness of the spices and walnuts!

  25. Irina says:

    This looks very promising — I absolutely love anything involving eggplant, and am always looking for new ways to use pomegranate molasses. Will make!

  26. kouky says:

    hummm! délicieuses associations!! c’est aussi la saison des grenades chez nous, il y en a à profusion! mais dommage la mélasse de grenade n’est pas trouvable par là! tu n’aurai pas une idée sur la façon d’en préparer à la maison?merci!

    • Joumana says:

      @Kouky: Faire la mélasse a la maison n’est pas facile, parce qu’il faut cuire le jus de grenade jusqu’a ce qu’il devienne syrupeux en évitant de le caraméliser. Je l’ai fait une fois avec du jus de raisin. Au Liban, ce sont les grenades acides qui sont converties en mélasse. Bon, tu pourrais commencer par du jus de mélasse frais, disons 2 verres, une cuillère a soupe de jus de citron et un peu de sucre si tu veux; cuire lentement jusqu’a ce que le sirop devienne un peu épais.

  27. kouky says:

    merci chère Joumana pour ta gentil réponse ! je vais essayer de le faire, d’autant plus que les grenade acides se vendent moins cher! bonne soirée!

  28. Cozette says:

    Hi Joumana! I made this recipe to my husband he loved it!!! I also made other recipes like the stuffed artichoke and labneh crostini topped with fava beans, all of them are yummy!

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