Ingredients
serves 6

Vegetables
1-pound Japanese eggplant, quartered lengthwise and diced into ¾ inch
1 pound butternut squash, diced into ¾ inch
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt to taste

Mint Pesto
⅓ cup toasted walnuts, plus more for plating
2 cups of basil leaves
1 cup of mint leaves
1 teaspoon minced garlic
⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Zest from half a lemon, micro planed
Kosher salt to taste

METHOD

Vegetables
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss eggplant in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt. Place eggplant in a single layer on a sheet tray and roast for about 10 to 15 minutes stirring every so often until tender.  Toss squash with remaining oil and season with salt. Place squash on a sheet tray in a single layer and roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender.

Mint Pesto
Prepare a dish with ice cold water.

Place basil and mint leaves in a heat proof dish. Bring 3 cups of water to boil and pour over leaves. Immediately remove leaves from hot water and transfer them to ice water. Give a quick stir of leaves in ice water to ensure they are cooled. Then remove leaves and squeeze out as much water as you can. It may be easier to place leaves in a dish towel and ring it/ squeeze it dry.

In a food processor, add walnuts and pulse until finely ground but not paste. Add basil, mint, and garlic, continue to pulse until finely chopped. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until a smooth paste forms, add additional olive oil if necessary. Add the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assembly
4 cups of roasted vegetables
2 cups of cooked whole freekeh
1 cup mint, basil and walnut pesto
Toasted walnuts
Feta
Edible flowers for garnish

In a large bowl, combine roasted vegetables, freekeh and pesto. Sprinkle with walnuts, feta and edible flowers

Courtesy of Mark Caldwell, Executive Chef Davis Estates

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