Spiced Aubergine Salad with Tomatoes and Summer Herbs

Ingredients:

1 Aubergine, cut into 1-2 cm rounds

Olive Oil for frying

1tsp Cumin

1tsp Paprika

50g Rocket

1 Gem Lettuce, roughly chopped

1 Beef Tomato, cut into chunks

A Handful of Pine nuts

A Small Handful of Basil Leaves

2tbsp Pomegranate Molasses

For the Dressing:

2tbsp Tahini

1tbsp Olive Oil

1tbsp Maple Syrup

1/2 Lemon (Juiced)

Cold Water

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Heat a medium sized frying pan toss the aubergine with the olive oil, salt and spices and spread out on a single layer across the frying pan. Cook in two batches to avoid overcrowding.

Cook for between 10-12 mins turning half way through, or until you see them getting golden and caramelised. When they're done lift them out of the pan and onto a kitchen towel to drain off any excess oil. Do the exact same with the second batch.

Meanwhile chop up all the remaining ingredients for your salad base and make a start on the tahini dressing. To make the tahini dressing put two heaped tablespoons of tahini into a bowl along with the juice of half a lemon and mix it altogether until its combined when it starts thickening up slowly add in the olive oil, maple syrup and stir loosen up the mixture with cold water a little at a time and mix. (Don’t add in too much at a time, as it will be too liquid) Once you’ve reached a pourable consistency season with salt and pepper. 

Toss together the salad leaves and tomato and transfer into a bowl or serving platter and add in your aubergine to the mix. Scatter over the pine nuts and basil and dress with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and the tahini dressing.

Serve and enjoy!