HOLIDAY RECIPE: Eggplant and lentil salad with pomegranate for Rosh Hashanah

We prepare meals throughout the year, but some are reserved for special occasions. This eggplant and lentil salad is one such dish.

I first enjoyed the dish at a restaurant in Jerusalem and it came to mind as the perfect starter when I was planning our meal for the Jewish New Year which begins on Friday evening.

Eating lentils on New Year's Eve is a tradition spanning Europe, dating back to ancient Roman times. To usher in the New Year and wish friends and neighbors prosperity, the Romans would give a Scarsella, a leather purse filled with lentils, with the hope that they would turn into gold coins.

In Jewish tradition, each holiday dish carries symbolic meaning. For Rosh HaShanah, the must-have foods include honey apples, beets, leeks, round-shaped challah, dates, pumpkin, and pomegranates.

In the Jewish faith, pomegranates are considered one of the "seven species of Israel," alongside wheat, barley, grapes, figs, olives, and dates.

Pomegranates are typically consumed on Rosh Hashanah, with some believing each one contains exactly 613 seeds, symbolizing the 613 mitzvahs (commandments) of the Torah that a righteous person should follow.

The verse "Your temple is like a split pomegranate from within your kerchief" (Song of Songs 6:7) is interpreted by the Talmud to signify that even the seemingly "empty" among Israel is filled with mitzvahs, just as a pomegranate is filled with seeds.

The tradition of eating pomegranates is particularly prominent among Sephardic and Mizrachi (Eastern) Jews. Archaeological evidence suggests that the fruit grew wild in Iran, with its first cultivation dating back to around 3,000-4,000 B.C. For Ashkenazi Jews, however, the fruit was considered foreign.

Here is the recipe for Eggplant and lentil salad with pomegranate 

Ingredients:

●      ¾ cup brown dry lentils

●      1 large eggplant

●      5-6 cloves of garlic

●      200ml pomegranate juice

●      3 tablespoons of pomegranate syrup

●      1 teaspoon coriander

●      1 ½ tablespoons cumin

●      Salt

●      Pepper

●      Olive oil

●      Fresh cilantro and parsley

●      1 cup of pomegranate seeds

Soak the lentils in water overnight, then drain and rinse. Cook them in a pot with salt. When they are halfway done, add the cubed eggplant, 1 tablespoon of cumin and a bit more salt. Continue to cook over low heat.

While the lentils are cooking, heat olive oil in a pan and sauté the crushed garlic cloves with cumin and coriander until golden brown. Be careful not to burn them.

Once done, add this mixture to the lentils, pomegranate juice, and syrup. Simmer for an additional 5-6 minutes or until the lentils are soft enough.

Serve the salad, either hot or cold, in small bowls.

Garnish with finely chopped fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, and pomegranate seeds.

Bete Avon! (Bon Appetit!) and Shana Tova! (Happy New Year!)