Roasted aubergine with feta & freekeh salad

Ingredients

• 2 aubergines
• 3 tbsp olive oil

For the freekeh salad

• 100g cracked freekeh
• 1 banana shallot, diced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 100g baby spinach leaves, washed
• A large bunch of parsley, stalks removed, leaves roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp sultanas
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 75ml extra virgin olive oil

To serve

• 50g pine nuts
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 150g feta cheese, crumbled
• 20 mint leaves (or there about)
• Seeds from ½ pomegranate
• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C. Slice the aubergines in half lengthwise and then crosshatch the flesh with a sharp knife, leaving the skin intact. Place on a roasting tray, drizzle with plenty of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Roast for 30-40 mins, until the surface begins to brown and the flesh becomes silky and soft. (If you have cooked your aubergine in advance, just place in a hot oven for 10 mins to warm through.)

Rinse the freekeh, place in a saucepan, cover with plenty of salted cold water and then bring up to the boil and cook for about 5-10 mins, until softened but still a little chewy. Drain off any excess moisture.

Stir in the shallot, garlic, spinach, parsley, sultanas, lemon juice and olive oil while the freekeh is still warm. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until they smell wonderfully nutty and then tip them onto a plate. Use the same pan to roast the cumin seeds until fragrant and then add to the pine nuts.

Place a pile of the freekeh salad on each plate with an aubergine half. Top with the feta, cumin, pine nuts, mint and pomegranate seeds. Splash with the pomegranate molasses and olive oil and serve.