Roasted Eggplant, Lentil & Persian Feta Salad

Such a beautiful and comforting salad to enjoy during the Winter months. The eggplant is crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. There is chewiness from the currants, crunch from the almonds, tanginess from the dressing. It’s honestly one the best Winter salads that I come back to every year.

I’ve paired this with a lovely and light James Busby Pinot Noir from the Yarra Valley region from Liquorland.

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants, chopped into 5cm pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt flakes
• Cracked black pepper
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 cup French lentils
• 400g tinned chickpeas, drained & rinsed
• 1/2 cup currants, soaked in boiling water for 3 minutes
• 4 spring onion, finely sliced
• 3/4 cup almonds, roasted and roughly chopped
• 150g marinated Persian feta
• 1/2 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 pomegranate, seeds removed

Dressing

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• Pinch sea salt flakes
• Pinch cracked black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fan forced.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chopped eggplant, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt flakes, and cracked black pepper. Toss well to coat the eggplant evenly. Spread the eggplant pieces evenly on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until they are tender and golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, cook the lentils according to the package instructions until they are tender but still firm. Drain any excess water and set aside to cool.
4. In a large salad bowl, combine the baby spinach, eggplant pieces, lentils, chickpeas, currants, spring onions, almonds, feta, mint, and parsley. Gently toss the ingredients together.
5. For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt flakes, and pepper to make the dressing.
6. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to ensure all the ingredients are coated with the dressing. Sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds.

Serves 4