Miso-Roasted Eggplant with Pomegranate-Tahini Sauce
Author: 
Serves: 5-6
 
Ingredients
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 medium eggplants, about 1 ¼ pounds each, unpeeled, stem removed, sliced into 1-inch rounds
  • ¼ cup unrefined, cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons mild miso, such as white
  • 1 Tablespoon shoyu, gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos
  • ¼ teaspoon chili paste, if you’d like some heat
  • Pomegranate-Tahini Sauce (optional)
  • ¼ cup tahini (I used Tahini Goddess which is pretty runny)
  • 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon pomegranate molasses
  • 1 garlic clove (minced if your blender is weak)
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2-5 Tablespoons water (according to how thick your tahini is and how thin or thick you want the sauce to be.)
  • Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and/or mint for garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and arrange eggplant in one layer on the paper towels. Sprinkle the tops of the eggplant with kosher salt and allow to sit and sweat out for 30 minutes. If you don’t have time, just skip this step, but it does take some of the bitterness out of the eggplant.
  2. In the meantime, make the miso mixture: in a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, miso, shoyu, and chili paste, if using, until smooth.
  3. Blot the tops of the eggplant with a paper towel to remove the excess moisture. Remove eggplant from the baking sheet and line with unbleached parchment paper. Brush both sides of the eggplant with the miso mixture and arrange in one layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway, until eggplant is golden brown.
  4. While eggplant is in the oven, make the (optional) tahini sauce: in a blender combine tahini, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, garlic, salt and 2 Tablespoons water. Blend until creamy. Add more water if desired. Taste for seasoning.
  5. Serve eggplant hot, warm or room temperature with herbs and tahini sauce.
Recipe by Pamela Salzman at https://pamelasalzman.com/miso-roasted-eggplant-with-pomegranate-tahini-sauce-recipe/