Photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelley. Recipe written by Yotam Ottolenghi, shared by Mackenzie. 

Ottolenghi's Eggplant with Garlicky Buttermilk Yogurt Sauce This recipe for slow-roasted eggplants and a garlicky buttermilk yogurt sauce is originally from Yotam Ottolenghi’s first cookbook, “Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes”. I have been making a similar version of this perfect-way-to-cook-an-eggplant since I first read this recipe back when the book was published in 2010. The original recipe calls for 2 large, long eggplants, but I have found that roasting smaller ones works just as well, though the cooking time should be adjusted based on the size and amount of eggplants you are roasting (smaller or less, reduce cooking time). The amount of olive oil may seem excessive, and as someone who has made this recipe for years, I had made it with less than ⅓ of a cup, and it still works, though the eggplant won't be quite as silky from all that olive oil. If you don’t have as much olive oil as the recipe calls for, do your best to make sure the incisions on the eggplant are absorbing some of the oil.

The buttermilk yogurt sauce is truly perfect as-is, but as a self-proclaimed lemon-head, I have convinced myself over the years that a teaspoon or two of lemon zest belongs there, too. And recently, when I didn’t have a single clove of fresh garlic in my kitchen (gasp, I know), I stirred in a spoonful of roasted garlic achaar, which satisfied the need for garlic and brought even more flavor to the table.

Ingredients

5-6 small eggplants or 2 large, long ones

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp lemon thyme leaves, plus a few whole sprigs to garnish

Maldon sea salt and black pepper

1 pomegranate

1 tsp za'atar

Sauce:

9 tbsp buttermilk

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle to finish

1 small garlic clove, crushed

1-2 teaspoons of lemon zest

Pinch of salt

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 200°F. Cut the eggplants in half lengthways, cutting straight through the green stalk (the stalk is for the look; don't eat it). Use a small sharp knife to make three or four parallel incisions in the cut side of each eggplant half, without cutting through to the skin. Repeat at a 45-degree angle to get a diamond-shaped pattern.

Place the eggplant halves, cut-side up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush them with olive oil—keep on brushing until all of the oil has been absorbed by the flesh. Sprinkle with the lemon thyme leaves and some salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, at which point the flesh should be soft, flavorful and nicely browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down completely

While the eggplants are in the oven, cut the pomegranate into two horizontally. Hold one half over a bowl, with the cut side against your palm, and use the back of a wooden spoon or a rolling pin to gently knock on the pomegranate skin. Continue beating with increasing power until the seeds start coming out naturally and falling through your fingers into the bowl. Once all are there, sift through the seeds to remove any bits of white skin or membrane.

To make the sauce. Whisk together all of the ingredients. Taste for seasoning, then keep cold until needed.

To serve, spoon plenty of buttermilk sauce over the eggplant halves without covering the stalks. Sprinkle za'atar and plenty of pomegranate seeds on top and garnish with lemon thyme. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Photo by Mackenzie Smith.