Roasted Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce and Pomegranate

• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Prepare eggplant

• Cut eggplants in half lengthwise. Keep green stalk on and cut straight through it. (The stalk is for the look, not to eat.)
• WIth small sharp knife, make 3 or 4 parallel diagonal incisions in the cut side of each eggplant half. Do not cut through the skin.
• Repeat at 90 degree angle, to get diamond-shaped pattern.
• Place eggplant halves on parchment paper, with cut side up.
• Brush eggplant halves with oil. Keep brushing until all the oil has been absorbed by the flesh.
• Sprinkle with lemon thyme leaves, salt, and pepper.
• Roast eggplants until flesh is soft and nicely browned, 35-40 minutes.
• Remove from oven.
• Allow to cool completely.

Prepare pomegranate

• While eggplant is in oven, cut pomegranate in ½ across the middle.
• Hold ½ of pomegranate over bowl.
• With the back of a wooden spoon, gently knock on pomegranate skin.
• Continue beating with increasing power until seeds start coming out naturally and falling through your fingers into bowl.
• Once all seeds are in bowl, sift through seeds to remove any bits of white skin or membrane.

Make sauce

• Crush garlic.
• Whisk together buttermilk, yogurt, 1 ½ tablespoons oil, garlic, and pinch of salt.
• Keep cold until needed.

Serve

• Cut eggplant halves into appropriate size pieces for serving.
• Spoon plenty of sauce over eggplants, without covering stalks.
• Sprinkle za’atar and plenty of pomegranate seeds on top.
• Garnish with lemon thyme springs.
• Finish with drizzle of oil.