I have yet to find an eggplant dish I do not love, but this Eggplant, Pomegranate and Farro Salad is exceptional. I got the original recipe from my daughter-in-law, Caley, who got it from a friend, who made it in a cooking class. Unfortunately, I have not been able to track down the original author. If you know, please let me know so I can credit him or her.

The original recipe was a bit fussy. Caley warned me there were lots of steps, but encouraged me to try it. The first time I made it I more or less followed the original recipe. Then I modified it to simplify the process and, most importantly, I roasted the eggplant instead of frying it.

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I always roast my eggplant instead of frying, whether I am making Moussaka or Eggplant Parmigiana. I roast instead of fry for three reasons: 1) to make it healthier, 2) to make it easier and 3) to make less mess. When you fry eggplant you often wind up with a very oil-soaked vegetable and a messy stovetop. When you roast eggplant, you can use a lot less oil. And I  prefer to throw a sheet pan of eggplant in the oven rather than slaving over a hot stove and cleaning up oil spatters when I am done.

The Components of this Salad

There are five components to this recipe:

• Eggplant
• Farro and dressing
• Pomegranate seeds
• Tahini sauce
• Garnish

I have simplified the instructions considerably. Below is what you need to know about each component.

Eggplant

I like to use globe or graffiti eggplant. Globe are the large dark purple eggplant that are the most familiar.

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If you can get your hands on graffiti eggplant they work well for this recipe. They are slightly smaller and have a brighter purple and white pattern on them that kind of looks like graffiti. They are a little sweeter than globe eggplant. You do not need to salt your eggplant. Salting was traditionally done to make eggplant less bitter and to draw out excess moisture. Today's eggplant are bred to be less bitter, so salting is usually no longer necessary. The exception is if you are frying eggplant it is beneficial to salt the eggplant first to remove moisture and achieve a crispier eggplant. This salting step is not needed if you roast your eggplant.

Farro and Dressing

The farro is made by sauteéing shallots in olive oil, adding the farro and toasting it briefly, before adding chicken, vegetable stock or water. Cooking the farro in chicken stock instead of water gives the farro the best flavor and umami, but you can use water or vegetable stock if you want to keep the dish vegetarian. Most farro found in the U.S, is pearled, meaning its bran has been removed. Pearled farro cooks in 20 to 30 minutes and does not require pre-soaking. I buy a variety of different farro, including this one from Bob's Red Mill.

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If I can get my hands on semi-pearled farro, where only part of the bran is removed, I buy it. It takes a little longer to cook and benefits from pre-soaking, but has enhanced nutritional value.

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When the farro is done, toss it with the dressing. You can refrigerate the dressed farro until needed, just remove from the fridge to allow it to come to room temperature.

Pomegranate Seeds

I LOVE pomegranates. I feel they make everything better and more vibrant. They add a burst of flavor to so many dishes, from soups to salads to chicken and meat dishes. Not to mention their many health benefits. Pomegranates are in season from late September through December and January. Off season pomegranates are grown in the San Joaquin Valley in California and also in Mexico. For most of the year you can purchase pomegranate seeds packaged in little tubs in many grocery stores. While I will succumb to purchasing these packaged seeds on occasion, fresh pomegranate seeds are far superior. The one thing that prevents people from using fresh whole pomegranates is they are scared of cutting them and removing the seeds. If you watch Youtube, you know there are many crazy ways to seed pomegranates, from seeding them under water, to banging them with a spoon. Check out my post to see how I seed a pomegranate. It is not hard.

No Pomegranates at the Store?

I recently had a hankering for this dish and picked up all the ingredients, but to my dismay my store had no pomegranates. I racked my brain for a substitute. Fortunately, I had a couple pomelos on hand. Pomelos are in the same family as grapefruits, but larger and sweeter. I substituted the pomello for the pomegranate and wow! It was great. Pomellos have a short fall winter season, similar to pomegranates, but I think a sweet grapefruit would also work well.

Tahini Sauce

The tahini sauce is made from tahini, Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon and spices. This sauce is absolutely delicious and can be used in multiple ways including spreading on toast, as part of avocado toast, on roasted veggies, to dip crudité, crackers or pita bread in, or thinned out for salad dressing. This recipe makes a generous amount, more than you will need for the salad, but I promise you the extra will not go to waste. You start by adding ice water to the tahini and whisking the two together. When you first add the ice water, the mixture will seize up and become hard to stir. Be patient, keep adding water and whisking until it transforms into a smooth sauce. There are a lot of tahinis on the market. Many grocery stores carry at least one kind of tahini. I sometimes buy mine at middle eastern grocery stores, where there is a huge selection. A gastroenterologist doctor I know recommended Soom tahini and I must say it is good stuff. It is easier to mix than many tahini, is made from Ethiopian sesame seeds and is made from only sesame seeds, no added ingredients. I find it does not have that off flavor some tahini has.

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You can simply drizzle the finished tahini sauce over the salad, but for a better presentation use a piping bag and tips or even a plastic bag with the a snipped corner to pipe the sauce uniformly over the salad.

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Here I spooned the tahini sauce over the salad. I also serve extra tahini sauce on the side. Here I put the sauce in a plastic bag with the corner snipped. A piping bag would be even better.

Building the Eggplant, Pomegranate and Farro Salad Layer by Layer

I start with a large oval platter and cover it with fresh spinach. Next comes the farro tossed with the dressing. I stack the roasted eggplant in layers over the farro. Drizzle or pipe tahini sauce over the salad. Finally, garnish with pomegranates, a mixture of fresh herbs, chopped pistachios and a sprinkling of sumac. Are you ready to make this delicious Eggplant, Pomegranate and Farro Salad?

More Eggplant and Pomegranate Recipes from SNFD

• Eggplant Parmigiana
• Modern Greek Moussaka
• Pomegranate Ginger Cocktail
• Slow Braised Pomegranate Lamb Shanks
• Pear, Prosciutto and Pomegranate Salad
• Persimmon, Grape, Pomegranate and Burrata Salad
• Slow Cooker Chicken with Walnuts and Pomegranates

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