Roasted Eggplant with Saffron Yogurt

Ingredients

• Serves 4 to 6
• 3 medium eggplant cut into 1-inch (2 cm) slices
• Salt
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
• Basil leaves
• Handful of roquette salad leaves
Saffron yogurt dressing:
• Pinch of saffron strands
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 6 ounces (150 g) Greek yogurt
• Juice of one lemon
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ garlic clove

Instructions

1. For the sauce: put the saffron in a small bowl, add two tablespoons of boiling water and let it infuse for 5 minutes. In a medium size bowl mix the yogurt with the lemon juice, olive oil and some salt. Using a microplane zester, finely grate the garlic directly into the yogurt sauce (or finely mince and add). Pour the infusion in with the other ingredients and stir; taste and adjust the salt if necessary. Chill until ready to use. The sauce will be better if made a few hours ahead. It will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.
2. Place the slice eggplant in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle generously with salt. Let the eggplant purge for 30 minutes to an hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 420° F (220° C). Remove the eggplant slices from the colander, brush off any excess salt, spread out on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. Once dry, place the slices in a large bowl and toss with olive oil – enough so that all the pieces look coated. Transfer to a roasting tray. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until the slices are golden brown. Remove from the oven, place the slices in a bowl and cover with cling film and let cool. The eggplant can be roasted in advance and kept in the refrigerator for 3 days before using. Let them come back to room temperature before serving.
4. To serve, arrange the eggplant slices on a large plate. Drizzle with the saffron yogurt sauce and sprinkle with pine nuts, pomegranate seeds and garnish with basil and roquette salad.