Warm Eggplant And Pomegranate Salad With Haloumi

Meat free Monday came a day late this week! And I'm back on the haloumi bandwagon after forcing myself to make vego meals without it for the last month or so.

Tonight I was inspired by the Middle East, with gorgeous fried Lebanese eggplant, capsicum and tomato with a tart, but sweet, pomegranate molasses dressing. The salty fried haloumi complemented it perfectly.

This was actually quite a light meal, so would be perfect on a warm summer's night, sitting outside, eating by candlelight. I can't wait for the weather to warm up!

I hope you like this simple meal as much as we did. Especially if you match it with a crisp, dry Riesling.

Warm Eggplant And Pomegranate Salad With Haloumi

2 Lebanese eggplants, halved and chopped into chunks
1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 red capsicum, cut into chunks
2 tomatoes, cut into quarters
A couple of handfuls of fresh mint, finely chopped plus extra to serve
250g block of haloumi, sliced into 5mm slices
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs pomegranate molasses, plus extra to drizzle
1/2 Tbs white wine vinegar
A handful of pine nuts, toasted

Combine the pomegranate molasses and vinegar in a small bowl and season to taste. Set aside.

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the chopped eggplant.
Boil for about 3 minutes, or until starting to soften. Drain well.
Heat a good drizzle of oil over medium high heat in a large frypan and cook onion, garlic and eggplant until starting to brown and soften.
Add the capsicum and stir for a minute or two or until it just begins to loose it's crunch.
Remove the pan from the heat and gently stir through the tomato and mint.
Pour over the molasses dressing and stir to combine.

Heat another good drizzle of oil in a second frypan.
Place haloumi slices into the hot pan and fry for 2-3 minutes each side, or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towel.

To serve, place the warm vegetables on to plates and top with the haloumi. Sprinkle with pine nuts and extra chopped mint, if desired. Drizzle with a little bit more of the pomegranate molasses for extra flavour.

Enjoy!

And To Drink....

To go with the strong flavours in the warm salad and the salty cheese, you need a wine with plenty of body, but also some acidity and freshness. The 2011 Cofield King Valley Riesling was perfect. Plenty of lemon and lime on the palate, with a dry finish and lots of acidity.

The only thing that could have made this dinner better is a warm night, sitting outside under the stars. I'll definitely be making this one again in summer when I can really appreciate the food and wine.