Nazkhatun (Eggplant with Pomegranate)

I wish I had a better camera :( Don't be turned off by the idea of the pomegranate. It is only a very subtle taste that adds to the eggplant. There are so many different eggplant dishes you can make that require only little tweaking to this recipe. My mother-in-law made one up that is very good (and I plan to post it eventually) with ground beef and mint, turmeric, tomato,onion, garlic, and eggplant (no pomegranate). As I said in my beet-yogurt dip post, this dish tastes great when eaten with the yogurt.

Nazkhatun

3 Japanese eggplant (the long skinny ones)

2 medium onions, peeled and grated

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 c. olive oil

3 medium tomatoes, peeled (optional peeling) and thinly sliced

1-2 tblsps. pomegranate paste

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp angelica powder (you can buy this at Phonecia)

2 tsps. fried mint (dried and fried in oil)

Peel the eggplant and cut into 4 long quarters lengthwise. Sprinkle salt on the eggplant and let it stand for 1/2 hr until the eggplant starts to sweat. Doing this will get rid of any bitter taste in the eggplant. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

After the eggplant has sweat, rinse it off completely. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease the foil or spray Pam on it. Next lie the eggplant sliced on the foil and sprinkle with olive oil or spray Pam (which is only just canola oil by the way) on them. Cover the eggplant with another sheet of foil and place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hr. The eggplants will be ready when you can easily run a fork through them. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large frying pan heat the oil with the onions and garlic and saute until browned. Once browned add the chopped tomatoes and pomegranate paste and cook for another 8 minutes. Finally, add the eggplant, angelica powder, salt, pepper, and mint and stir completely and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and serve hot or room temperature with lavash bread, yogurt, and feta cheese on the side.