roasted aubergine and lentil salad with pomegranate and mint

this salad was the perfect thing to eat on a warm summer’s evening.

i griddled aubergine slices which had been brushed with olive oil and seasoned; while they were cooking i fried a sliced red onion and some garlic in a little olive oil and when this softened i added a couple of handfuls of green lentils (puy would also have been nice), added a little red wine. when the wine had simmered away i added vegetable stock and a bay leaf,  cooking the lentils until soft and adding extra stock as necessary (add it slowly as you want it all to absorbed by the lentils).

the cooked lentils were mixed with a little pomegranate molasses and a drizzle of olive oil, so they absorbed the flavours. the cooled lentils were layered with the aubergine and some cherry tomatoes which i had roasted earlier in the week. a scattering of torn mozzarella (feta, goat's curd or grilled halloumi would also be good) and fresh mint were the finishing touches to this wonderful summer salad. we ate this with roasted spatchcocked poussin, which i’d rubbed with olive oil, sweet smoked paprika and lemon juice,and cooked for 40 minutes on a bed of spring onions.

leftovers were still delicious two days later.