Grilled Brinjal with Pomegranate Vinaigrette & Cod in Tomato Sauce

Omgosh! i finally finally finally cooked after such a long time! :D:D:D:D i've been so busy with school that i haven't had the time to cook ): for the first half of this year (the most blissful period of my life), i used to cook about once a week. such a fun experience! :D since last week was the study break (actually i didn't actually get much studying done :/), i decided to unleash my cooking once more! haha. read on for the recipes!

Grilled Brinjal with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 large brinjals, cut into 1cm thick slices

2 shallots, finely sliced

3 tbsp pomegranate syrup

6 tbsp olive oil

1. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the oil and pomegranate syrup. Set aside until ready to serve. (i skipped this step because i used pomegranate balsamic vinegar as my dressing instead. it was AWESOME. it was a gift though, so i've no idea where to buy it from >.<)

2. Preheat the pan over high heat. Add oil to the pan and grill the brinjal on both sides until tender. (this took an amazingly long time...requires lots of patience. or maybe it's just my poor skill haha)

3. Fry the shallots until fragrant.

4. Layer the brinjals and shallots in s serving dish and pour over the vinaigrette. Scatter with fresh pomegranate seeds and serve.

Cod in Tomato Sauce

Serves 4

4 pieces of cod fillet

1 large onion, finely sliced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

4 large plum tomatoes, chopped

Tomato puree (i used spaghetti sauce :p)

1 tsp sugar

300ml of stock

120ml dry white wine

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Fry the fish, skin-side down, over a medium-high heat for 1 minute or until the skin is crisp. turn over and cook for 1 minute more. remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. Fry the onion and garlic over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until softened, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, sugar, stock and wine, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, for 10-12 minutes.

4. Pour the sauce into a flameproof casserole dish, place the fish on top of the sauce and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. lift out the cod, and keep warm.

5. Place the casserole over a medium-high heat and allow the sauce to bubble for 3-4 minutes until reduced and thickened. Pour over the fish and serve.