Badrijani-Style Eggplant Rolls with Spiced Walnut Paste

Slice the eggplant. Cut the eggplant (1) lengthwise into slabs about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. If you like, salt both sides with the kosher salt, let them sweat for an hour, then rinse and pat dry.

Cook the paste base. Heat the olive oil (40–55 g3–4 tbsp) in a skillet over medium heat. Add the raw unsalted walnuts (75 g¾ cup), fresh parsley (1), garlic cloves (4–5), onion (¾), red wine vinegar (12 g2½ tsp), salt (½ tsp), black pepper (½ tsp), curry powder (½ tsp), ground coriander (¼–½ tsp), ground cloves and saffron threads (4–5), and cook, stirring, 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

Purée in a food processor or with an immersion blender to the texture you like, from rustic to smooth. Taste for salt and vinegar. Set aside.

Fry the eggplant. Heat a generous film of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Fry the slabs in batches, adding oil as needed, until golden and completely soft and floppy, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Assemble. Put a spoonful of the walnut paste near one end of each slab, scatter with pomegranate seeds, and fold or roll the slab over the filling. Serve warm or at room temperature.